Barack-lock

That's gridlock, 2009 style: It's not going to be easy to get to the inauguration of President-elect Barack Obama, according to Maryland transportation officials. Here's an edited advisory from the state:

No matter what mode of transportation attendees may be planning to use, movement in and out of Washington , D.C. , and the surrounding area on Inauguration Day is expected to be extremely challenging. The region’s transit systems will be operating at capacity, travel on the road network in and out of the Washington , D.C. , area will be severely restricted, and parking will be very limited.

In addition, those attending the events on Inauguration day should be aware of the following:

·Charter buses will be the only vehicles allowed to park within walking distance of the event.

·Due to the security restrictions in and around the National Mall, all the access roads into and around the Mall will be tightly controlled.

·Passenger car and commercial vehicle traffic will be restricted in downtown Washington , D.C.

·Many routes in the Washington region will only be open to buses and pedestrians.

·Event organizers are warning of the potential of long waits at transit stations and security checkpoints.

Special MARC commuter rail service and MTA commuter bus service will operate on Inauguration Day. The Metro system in Washington will operate a full schedule. Details are listed below:

MARC

·MARC will operate inbound trains from 5:00 a.m. to 9:00 a.m. and outbound trains from 4:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m.

·Reserved tickets must be purchased in advance. No tickets will be sold on Inauguration Day.

·Roughly 700 tickets remain on the Brunswick line.

·MARC reserved tickets on the Penn and Camden lines are sold out.

MTA Commuter Bus

·MTA commuter buses will operate from 5:30 a.m. to 10:30 a.m. and then from 4:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m.

·9,000 tickets will be available on the day of the Inauguration for the commuter bus service.

·MTA commuter buses will operate between park and ride lots at specified locations across the state and suburban Washington Metro stations.

·Customers can then board Metro to the downtown Washington area.

·Tickets are $10 for a round trip on the bus.Metro fare will be additional at the Metro station.

·Park and Ride lots offering MTA commuter bus service include:

Frederick (Monocacy Park & Ride) to Shady Grove every 30 minutes
Columbia (Broken Land Park & Ride) to Greenbelt every 30 minutes
Scaggsville/Burtonsville to Silver Spring every 30 minutes
Annapolis to New Carrollton every 30 minutes
Kent Island to New Carrollton every 60 minutes
Prince Frederick/Dunkirk to Branch Avenue every 30 minutes
Upper Marlboro to Branch Avenue every 30 minutes
Charlotte Hall to Branch Avenue every 30 minutes
Waldorf (Blue Crabs Stadium) to Branch Avenue every 20 minutes

For more information on the commuter bus service, go to www.mtamaryland.com and click on the Inauguration icon.

WMATA / Metrorail

·Metro officials expect extremely crowded conditions on Inauguration Day.

·The U.S. Secret Service has deemed the Inauguration as a special national security event and due to security measures, the following stations will be closed on Inauguration Day:

-Archives-Navy Memorial-Penn Quarter station on Metro's Green /Yellow Lines
-Smithsonian station on the Blue and Orange Lines

·Parking at all Metro facilities will be $4.00, cash only.

Those who choose to drive on Inauguration Day should be aware of the following:

·Many roads will be closed and street parking will be severely restricted by law enforcement.

·Parking close to the Mall will not be available.

·For safety reasons, SHA and the Maryland State Police will be prepared to close ramps from the Maryland ’s portion of the Capital Beltway to local roads if traffic backs up onto freeways.

·The Maryland State Police will tow immediately any abandoned or illegally parked vehicles along state and interstate routes.

For updated information on Maryland transportation plans for the 2009 Inaugural citizens can visit www.marylandtransportation.com and click on the Inauguration icon on the home page.