John Matthews
WMAL.com
LANDOVER, MD — (WMAL) You can expect afternoon rush hour to start by lunchtime Monday, as Redskins fans with tickets descend on Fed Ex Field, and the rest of us rush home to catch the season opener against the Steelers.
Unlike a conventional Monday night game, the season opener kicks off at 7:10 pm, and parking lots open at 2 pm. The Redskins are advising fans to arrive early to allow plenty of time to get in.
With the early start, Monday afternoon traffic on the Beltway in Prince George’s County is expected to be horrendous.
When you have a game that starts earlier than normal, then you’re really throwing a wrench into the afternoon rush hour,” says Charlie Gischlar with Maryland State Highways. “Anytime between 2 o’clock and and well after game time, it’s going to draw a lot of attention,” he adds.
Gischlar says your best advice is to plan ahead and avoid the Beltway in Prince George’s County if at all possible. In other words – think outside the box.
“Think about some other routes going through there, even if they might be a little out of the way, ” says Gischlar. “In the end, you’re going to save time. I’m talking about using Maryland Rt. 450 in the Bowie area, U.S. 50, U.S. 301, anywhere … but just try to avoid using the Capital Beltway and all of the routes around Largo and Landover,” he says.
Unless the game goes into overtime, it should finish by 10:30 pm. Don’t plan on sticking around if you use Metro. The last train will leave at 11:24 pm.
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