WASHINGTON, D.C. — Drivers heading anywhere near the National Mall, Georgetown or Rock Creek Parkway on Sunday, Oct. 25, should plan around the 51st Marine Corps Marathon, which sends thousands of runners through the city on a 26.2-mile route through Washington, D.C., and Arlington.
Jefferson and Madison drives on the Mall are the first to go dark to traffic, at 3:45 a.m. By 5:30 a.m. the shutdown grows to cover Key Bridge, Canal Road, the Rock Creek and Potomac corridor and stretches of Pennsylvania and Independence avenues.
The Metropolitan Police Department said 3rd, 7th and 14th streets will be blocked to cars between Constitution and Independence starting around 5:30 a.m. and running until 3 p.m., along with M Street between Canal Road and Wisconsin and the parkway stretch running from Calvert Street down to Ohio Drive. Parking is banned on those blocks under emergency signs between 2 a.m. and 2 p.m. Police said the times could shift and that updates would be posted on their social media account.
The race starts on Route 110 in Arlington, in the gap separating the Pentagon from the national cemetery, crosses into the city for a loop through Georgetown and past the monuments, then heads back to Virginia over the 14th Street Bridge. Runners have to reach the bridge checkpoint by 1:15 p.m. to stay on the certified course.
Most District closures are expected to clear between noon and 2 p.m. Across the river, Crystal City streets including Long Bridge Drive and Crystal Drive stay shut until 5 p.m., and the finish is at the Marine Corps War Memorial.
Section: More Washington DC crime news
Filed under: Washington DC Traffic News