By Robert Thomson
Sunday, April 6, 2008; C02

D ear Dr. Gridlock:

I've noticed a lot of column inches devoted to telling people how to get to the new stadium, where to park, etc. What about a little guidance for those of us who just want to get past the park? That is, people who need to get somewhere else and whose route must take them across the South Capitol Street bridge at the same time as the games.

What will be the times of greatest congestion? Are there alternatives? And don't tell me to take Metro! If I could, I would.

Frank Hudson

Bowie

The Nationals are scheduled to play their first weeknight game in the new stadium at 7:10 p.m. tomorrow. Look for extra traffic congestion before game times along the Southeast-Southwest Freeway, especially at Maine Avenue and South Capitol Street; at M Street and South Capitol; M Street in front of the Navy Yard; and on South Capitol Street next to the stadium.

You'll see plenty of traffic control officers and new traffic patterns. At many places along M Street, officers will bar drivers from making turns across traffic or into neighborhood streets. Fans who are unfamiliar with the area will be mixing with homebound commuters on the freeway and on M and South Capitol streets.

Traffic signals on South Capitol by the stadium will be set to flash. That should help with the flow of commuters, but watch for officers occasionally stopping traffic on South Capitol to allow pedestrians and vehicles to cross the street. On northbound South Capitol, motorists will be dropping off passengers in front of the stadium.

Many fans and commuters will make adjustments after their first few experiences. So will traffic planners, who can adjust the timing on signals, modify traffic signs and adjust parking rules.

Hudson told me he's most concerned about getting from his home to the Kennedy Center for Saturday night concerts. He's used to leaving Bowie about 7 p.m. for an 8 p.m. concert. His route includes the Frederick Douglass Memorial Bridge up South Capitol Street to the Southeast-Southwest Freeway. The Nats' first Saturday night home game starts at 7:10 p.m. April 26, and 10 more are scheduled after that. (There are 53 weekday evening games, starting at either 7:10 or 7:35.)

I suggest leaving home earlier on a game night and finding an alternative route to the Kennedy Center that avoids the northbound side of South Capitol, at least till fans and planners get used to dealing with a 42,000-seat stadium. Perhaps instead of taking the Douglass Bridge from the Anacostia Freeway, swing around and head back north to the 11th Street Bridge? What other ideas do readers have for avoiding South Capitol Street?

Dear Dr. Gridlock:

I expect to attend several games at the new Nationals stadium this season. Not being a season-ticket holder, I understand that my best options are either to take Metro to the Navy Yard Station or to drive and park free at RFK Stadium and take a shuttle to the new stadium.

I can drive to the West Falls Church or Vienna Metro stations. Parking at these stations for weekend and holiday games will not be a problem. However, I'm concerned that the parking garages at these stations will be filled by commuters' cars on weekday late afternoons when fans like myself are looking for parking.

Also, driving to Nats games at RFK over the past three years, I used the access road from the Southeast-Southwest Freeway directly into Lot 8. It is the most direct route to the stadium from the Virginia suburbs. Its use should be encouraged.

Harvey Hamel

Ashburn

Parking at Metro's outer stations can be very difficult, despite the great number of spaces. Vienna, for example, has more than 5,800 all-day spaces. It costs $4.50 to park there on weekdays but is free on weekends and holidays.

The Metro trip from Vienna to Navy Yard, the station closest to the stadium, takes about 45 minutes to an hour during the evening rush, depending on which Green Line train you catch when transferring at L'Enfant Plaza.

The most difficult time for parking will be this spring, when you'll compete with commuters and tourists. This will ease in summer, because of vacations, before picking up again after Labor Day.

I'd try that first, before the fallback of driving in on the freeway and using the RFK Stadium access road at the end to reach RFK's free parking in Lot 8, where you'll find the free shuttle to Nationals Park.

Dr. Gridlock appears Thursday in the Extras and Sunday in the Metro section. You can send e-mails todrgridlock@washpost.com. Include your name, home community and phone numbers.

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