Most District and federal offices will close Tuesday for a National Day of Mourning in honor of President Gerald Ford, adding a fourth day to the holiday weekend for thousands of people.
All federal agencies will be closed, with a few exceptions. Personnel within state, defense, justice and homeland security may have to work, at their directors’ discretion. Fort Belvoir, in Fairfax County, will be closed, as will the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services.
The D.C. government, which will be transitioning from Mayor Anthony Williams to Mayor Adrian Fenty at midday Tuesday, will be closed with the exception of essential employees. All Department of Motor Vehicles sites will be shuttered and parking laws will not be enforced by the Department of Public Works. Trash will be collected, however.
D.C. Courts will be closed as well. The Superior Court will operate on an emergency schedule, meaning all adult arraignments, juvenile new referrals and preventive detention hearings will still take place.
The movement of the former president from Andrews Air Force Base to Washington, and back, will require temporary road closures and force delays. Ford’s body is slated to arrive at Andrews today at 5:20 p.m. At roughly 5:30 p.m., Maryland State Police will shut down the Inner Loop of the Capital Beltway, including all ramps, from Suitland Road to the Woodrow Wilson Bridge. The reopening time is unknown.
The motorcade will enter Alexandria on Washington Street and continue north on the George Washington Memorial Parkway. It will then pause at the World War II Memorial on the National Mall before arriving at the U.S. Capitol at 6:30 p.m.
Constitution Avenue and Independence Avenue on the Capitol Grounds will be closed from 5 p.m. today through the conclusion of events. There may be additional street closures around the Capitol as necessary.
The viewing will be open to the public from 8 p.m. until midnight Saturday night and from 9 a.m. until 6 p.m. on Sunday and Monday. The designated waiting area will be at Third and Maryland Avenue Southwest for all visitors. Officials recommend that visitors take Metro to the Capitol.
