Prince William officials are trying to make sure hoteliers are not adversely affected by the parking plan for the opening of the National Museum of the Marine Corps.
Current plans have selected the Pentagon and Stafford Regional Airport as parking areas for the throngs of people expected to attend the ceremonies on Nov. 10.
Buses will then move the nearly 15,000 guests to the museum located in southern Prince William County.
“When something like this comes, you think the hotels will fill up, but with the parking being the way it is,” there is potential for reservations to be made outside of the county, Tabitha Mullins, executive director for the Prince William County and Manassas Convention and Visitors Bureau, said.
One idea the bureau has is hiring its own buses to take guests to a lot approved by the Marine Corps, where passengers would switch to the secure buses hired for the occasion, Mullins said.
“Taking them to the Pentagon ourselves is easier than sending off 200 people individually, disgruntled and making their way to the Pentagon,” she said.
“We are working to accommodate everybody. … There is a lot of planning right now,” Col. Mike Riley, the Marine Corps lead planner for the ceremonies, said.
The two lots were big enough to hold the guests and easily facilitate the 200 buses that might be needed, Riley said.
The Pentagon also has Metro access, he said, and added that planners have inquired about having sole access for the High Occupancy Vehicle Lane.
Some 9,500 people have already expressed interest in reserving tickets for the event, Riley said.
The museum will open to the general public shortly after the ceremonies and tours to the invited guests, said Col. Raymond Hord with the Marine Corps Heritage Foundation. The plan to handle the crowds and ticketing has not been finalized, Hord said.
Construction of the museum’s building is finished. Paving the parking lot and outdoor landscaping will finish within the week. The remainder of work to be done is placing the exhibits, artwork and realistic touches within the exhibits to make sure history is told “through a Marine’s eyes,” Hord said.
National Museum of the Marine Corps
» $57 million building
» $30 million in exhibits
» 135-acre site
» 210-foot spire over Interstate 95
» Focus on WWII, Korea and Vietnam; earlier and recent wars will be featured in future expansion
