In just 45 days, D.C. will be overflowing with tourists and spectators hoping to catch a glimpse of President Obama’s re-inauguration. And in preparation of that event, which is expected to draw a big crowd—though much smaller than the 1.8 million who turned out on January 20, 2009—the D.C. government has a website up for inauguration-related information.
Well, maybe. The site, Inauguration.DC.gov, has been running somewhat spottily, with brief flashes of life broken up by error messages. There’s also a fair bit of information that still needs to be added.
But once updated, the site promises to list directions to the National Mall using various modes of transportation, including bicycles (hooray for multimodal civics!), along with sections about the inevitable spate of road closures and impacts on city services.
As of this writing, though, the site is still having some jitters. That’s OK. There’s still a little more than six weeks to go until inauguration craziness goes into high gear. But websites not withstanding, many of D.C.’s agencies are making their quadrennial preparations.
The Alcoholic Beverage Regulation Administration, as it did in 2009, is permitting bars to stay open until 4 a.m. for the week around inauguration. From January 13 through January 21, taverns that are granted such permission will be able to stay open and entertain the visitors.
Meanwhile, Metro started selling its commemorative SmarTrip fare cards featuring Obama’s face today. While the day of Obama’s swearing-in resulted in Metro’s busiest day ever with 1.54 million riders, the transit agency generally experiences a significant drop-off on a re-inauguration. In 2005, when George W. Bush was inaugurated for a second time, there were about 20,000 fewer riders than in 2001. President Bill Clinton’s 1997 inaugural saw about 360,000 fewer Metro customers.
Obama’s second go-round is also expected to see a similar drop-off. Metro spokesman Dan Stessel tells DCist that the agency expects between 500,000 and 800,000 riders next January 21.
