Locals asked to stay off Beltway for inauguration

January 13, 2009 - 5:09pm


WASHINGTON - Maryland Gov. Martin O'Malley is adding another major route to an already unprecedented list of inauguration road closures and traffic restrictions.

O'Malley's latest recommendation - the Beltway - may be hard for a lot of people to swallow.

"For those of you who are Marylanders, on Inauguration Day, if there is any way that you can avoid traveling on 495, you would be doing all of your neighbors who are coming from around the country to attend the inauguration a tremendous service," O'Malley said at a high-level news conference Tuesday.

O'Malley said the Beltway cuts right through the most densely-populated parts of Maryland, but will be counted on to carry a great volume of diverted traffic on Jan. 20.

Meanwhile, the inauguration isn't just putting a strain on traffic in our region - it's having a big impact on local budgets.

O'Malley, Va. Gov. Tim Kaine and D.C. Mayor Adrian Fenty are requesting federal money to help pay for the inauguration.

So how much is the inauguration costing taxpayers in D.C., Md. and Virginia?

Fenty puts the price tag for local governments at $75 million.

On Tuesday afternoon, President George Bush declared an emergency in the District to give the nation's capital more access to federal money for the inauguration.

In the past, the national capital region has never been fully reimbursed for national security events like the inauguration.