Use Metro. Bike. Walk. Do anything but try and drive in the District of Columbia on Saturday, officials say. Between Howard University’s commencement, featuring an address from Oprah, the National Asian Heritage Festival, the National Police Week 5K Race and the 28th Annual DC101 Chili Cook-Off, street closures and a bounty of extra pedestrians are certain to put a damper on vehicular access to the nation’s capital.
– For the Asian festival: Pennsylvania Avenue Northwest will be closed between 3rd and 6th streets from 2 a.m. to 11 p.m.
– For the 5K race: Rolling street closures will follow the race route, starting at 3rd Street Northwest fromF Street and ending on E Street between 4th and 5th streets. The race is schedule to start at 8 a.m. and conclude at 11 a.m.
– For Howard’s commencement: Streets will be closed and parking prohibited from 5 a.m. to 7 p.m., including the 2100 to 2700 blocks
of Sixth Street, the 600 block of Howard Street, the 600 block of Fairmont Street, the 300 to 600 blocks of College Street and the 600 block of Girard Street.
– For the Chili Cook-Off: On the site of the Old Convention Center, the event will require no street closures, but increased walkers are expected.
The street closures actually kick off Friday with the memorial service for police officers killed in the line of duty. At 6 a.m., the following streets will close: Indiana Avenue between 4th and 5th streets, 4th Street between E Street and Indiana Avenue, and D Street between 3rd and 4th streets.
