Where Roads Will Close This Weekend, Next Week and During Papal Visit

Washington is already preparing for increased traffic and road closures during Pope Francis’ visit on Sept. 22, but some Hill-area residents will also encounter unrelated road closures over the next few weeks.

September is a popular month in the District for street festivals and races, and with them come closed roads throughout the city. District police have released traffic advisories this weekend for Southwest and Navy Yard, and parts of the H Street corridor will close next weekend for the H Street Festival.

Here is a guide to all the upcoming road closures in the Capitol Hill area, including closures planned for the Pope’s visit:

This Weekend

• On Saturday morning, 2nd Street NE between C and D streets will be closed until noon for scheduled water main repairs, according to a spokesperson with D.C. Water
• Also on Saturday, the Light the Way 5K will take place in the Navy Yard area starting at 9 a.m. No roads will be closed for the race, but D.C. Police are warning drivers that a large number of people will be using sidewalks and crosswalks throughout the area around Nationals Park and the Navy Yard Metro Station.
• On Sunday, roads in Southwest near the National Mall, Tidal Basin and Hains Point will close between about 7 a.m. and about 1:30 p.m. for the Nation’s Triathlon

Next Weekend

• The H Street Festival will take place on Saturday, Sept. 19 on H Street NE between 4th and 14th streets NE. Police have not yet announced when roads will be closed, but the festival is expected to run from noon to 7 p.m., and the road will likely be closed before and after the festival for set-up and take-down.

Papal Visit

Pope Francis will be in the District Sept. 22-24. Most of the road closures are concentrated near the Pope’s planned stops at the White House, the U.S. Capitol, several churches and Catholic University. Here are the closures in the Capitol:

• Maryland Avenue SW and Pennsylvania Avenue NW will be closed between 3rd and 1st streets SW from 5 p.m. Sept. 23 to 4 p.m. Sept. 24
• All roads within two blocks of the Capitol building will be closed all day Wednesday, Sept. 23.
• Metro trains will operate on usual schedules, with no track work scheduled during the visit.
• Metro is still shifting bus routes around security plans. Information on changes to individual routes will be posted online as it becomes available.
• Information on traffic and public transportation related to the Pope’s visit is available online.