Editor’s Note: This article includes new information from D.C. officials, as of 6 p.m. on Saturday, Jan. 18. Expect updates as WTOP learns more about local road closures, transit plans and festivities.
D.C. is gearing up for one of its most pompous and time-honored traditions. Monday is Inauguration Day, but a giant wrench was thrown into the plans Friday when officials announced President-elect Donald Trump’s swearing-in would be moved indoors due to forecasts of frigid temperatures.
The Rotunda is prepared as an alternative for each inauguration in the event of inclement weather. However, the move will have a massive ripple effect on arrangements for the day and it change’s full impact isn’t yet clear.
Alternate plans are required for the more than roughly 250,000 guests ticketed to view the inauguration from around the Capitol grounds and the tens of thousands more expected to be in general admission areas or to line the inaugural parade route from the Capitol to the White House.
Trump said some supporters would be able to watch the ceremony from D.C.’s Capital One Arena, but that only has a capacity of about 20,000. As of Saturday evening, it is unclear who will be invited to the venue for Monday’s event.
On Saturday, city officials also announced updated road closures. Additional updates will be posted on the District’s inauguration website, according to city officials.
Also on Saturday, Metro announced several service changes for Sunday and Monday:
- Metrorail will open at 5 a.m. Monday, instead of 4 a.m. It will now run on a normal weekday schedule.
- The Gallery Place Metro station will be transfer-only on Sunday and Monday. Passengers can change train lines at the stop but will not be able to enter and exit the station. Metro recommends that customers headed to Capital One Arena enter and exit via the Metro Center station.
- The Yellow Line will not run to Greenbelt, Maryland, as previously planned.
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More inauguration stories:
- ‘Very, very cold’: Inauguration temperatures will be lowest since 1985
- What’s open, what’s closed: Martin Luther King Jr. Day, Inauguration Day 2025
- Security agencies face challenges at Trump’s inauguration
