Ballpark, Race, Blossoms To Test Parking Prowess

By Eric M. Weiss
Washington Post Staff Writer
Friday, March 28, 2008

If you're thinking about taking a leisurely drive around the District this weekend, you might want to reconsider.

In addition to the nationally televised Nationals opener at the new ballpark Sunday, tomorrow will bring an exhibition game between the Nats and the Orioles, the start of the Cherry Blossom Festival and the National Marathon.

The events will bring thousands of fans and tourists to the city and a potential traffic and parking nightmare.

If you insist on driving, avoid the Mall, Tidal Basin, the area near the new ballpark and anywhere else tourists or runners might be. Which is pretty much everywhere this time of year.

"Take Metro, take Metro, take Metro," said Karyn LeBlanc, spokeswoman for the District's Department of Transportation.

Metro will open two hours early tomorrow to get people to the National Marathon, which starts at 7 a.m. near RFK Stadium and the Stadium-Amory Metro station. Several thousand runners are expected to gather for the race, which winds through the city and ends back at the stadium about 1 p.m., accompanied by massive road closures.

Then the National Cherry Blossom Festival -- one of the city's biggest events of the year, with more than 1 million visitors -- kicks off at 10 a.m. with the annual Smithsonian Kite Festival on the grounds of the Washington Monument.

The first pitch of the invitation-only Nats-Orioles game is at 6 p.m. tomorrow; Sunday's season opener begins at 8:05 p.m.

Metro is adding extra trains and staff to accommodate the crowds expected to attend the events, but build some extra time into your travel schedule, and bring your patience.

A packed house of 41,000 baseball fans is expected for opening night Sunday. Officials also expect lots of confused drivers circling the ballpark trying to find their assigned spots or, ignoring the recommendations, seeking to nab a metered spot in the neighborhood. Add to the mix that most folks going to the game are unfamiliar with that part of the city, and well, you get the picture.

But the real test for baseball planners will come April 7, the first game that starts during the weeknight rush. Assuming that any glitches discovered Sunday are fixed, the 7:10 p.m. game against the Florida Marlins will test whether Washington can handle an urban ballpark like Fenway Park in Boston and Wrigley Field in Chicago, which were built before baseball fans demanded oceans of parking.

Getting into the city by car shouldn't be much of a problem, because baseball traffic will be going in the opposite direction of most commuters. But once they're in, drivers have few options.

Again, Metro really is the best bet. Take the Orange or Blue Line to Capitol South and walk down New Jersey Avenue SE to the park. Not a bad walk. Not a pretty walk, but not so bad. Or you could transfer to the Green Line and get off at the Navy Yard Station, which is a half-block from the stadium. Metro promises that the station expansion will be ready for Sunday and that it will have more one-way capacity than the Stadium-Armory Station.

Or bike. There are bike racks surrounding the stadium, and the Nationals will have free bike valet service at N and First streets SE.

Or take a cab. Taxis and charter buses can pull right up to the stadium.

Drivers can park for free at RFK Stadium Lot 8 and take a free shuttle bus to the game, courtesy of the Nationals. The buses will be operating 90 minutes before and after the games. The advantages to using the shuttles are that it should be an easy drive in on the 11th Street and Sousa bridges and, well, that parking is free.

If you are not a season ticket holder who paid for a reserved space, gambling on getting one of the roughly 1,000 metered spaces around the stadium means the odds are strongly stacked against you. First, some of the spots are off-limits because of nearby construction. Second, the city has cut off several key blocks around the stadium for resident-only parking. Third, the city has installed high-tech meter stations that charge escalating rates that could go up to $40 for four hours.

"The intent is to exceed off-street rates," said Karina Ricks of DDOT. In other words, scoring a metered spot will set you back the same amount that a private garage will charge. And, this being the District, the odds of strict parking enforcement are high. Police and tow trucks will be out in force to catch violators.

Ricks said that people make decisions on how to travel based on "time, money and cost." Making meters -- and parking tickets -- so expensive encourages Metro use. Although there are pay garages and lots near the stadium, most are reserved for Nationals season ticket holders. For example, several run by Colonial Parking are reserved for Nats parking pass holders only.

Another option, strongly discouraged by city officials, is to hunt for a spot across South Capitol Street, in the industrial area known as Buzzard Point. LeBlanc said that sidewalks and street lighting in the area are spotty at best and that safety probably will be an issue. (By the way, this is where the media lot is.) Also, LeBlanc said, charter buses will be directed to park in the area during games. Still, for someone who doesn't care about his car or personal safety, this could be a last, but bad, option to find a cheap spot.

And, of course, there is walking. If you work downtown, you'll quickly realize Washington is not such a big city.