Parking a National crisis

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It always has been a given that getting to and from the Nationals' new ballpark would be a major league hassle in the stadium's first year. But at a hearing of the D.C. Council's Committee on Economic Development last week, fans got an idea how bad the situation will be.

Gregory McCarthy, a former city official whom the Nationals hired to help iron out parking and transportation plans for the new ballpark, reported that there barely will be enough parking spots (5,000) to accommodate season-ticket holders and that holders of single-game tickets probably won't find any spots in the neighborhood at all.

That leaves walk-up fans and holders of single-game tickets with two choices: take the Metro or park at RFK Stadium and hop on the free shuttle.

Now, neither of those options sounds all that terrible. But it's easy to envision thousands of stubborn (or clueless) fans driving to Southeast in their cars only to end up circulating around like Chevy Chase in "National Lampoon's European Vacation."

The whole road situation around South Capitol Street is sketchy right now, too. Try making a left onto South Capitol from M Street. Men have climbed K2 with greater ease.

While some of the closed and torn-up streets in the neighborhood will be paved and ready by Opening Day, most of the road upgrades to the area will come gradually over the next few years.

Thankfully, it does appear an expansion of the Navy Yard Metro Station will be complete in time for Opening Day. (Clark Construction is operating on an ultra-accelerated schedule to get it done.) But the word "complete" can be a relative term. The station can accommodate the additional ridership, but work on the station will be ongoing.

"There will be trains coming, and people will be getting on and off" was all McCarthy could promise in a recent interview.

And the whole RFK shuttle situation is uncertain, too. The D.C. Sports and Entertainment Commission, which controls the RFK land, is not too keen on just letting the team use the space for free. And they are also concerned about what happens on nights when there's an event at the D.C. Armory or when D.C. United is playing. The smart money is on a deal eventually being struck, but it could be March before anyone knows for sure whether the RFK lots will be available.

There are some other, less exciting options for getting to the ballpark. Some officials have suggested taking the Metro to Capitol South, an Orange line stop located about a 15-minute walk from the stadium. And others said a walk from Union Station is not unreasonable for the patient physically fit. But keep in mind that a walk through Southeast will not excite most suburban fans, who tremor at the thought of walking in the city at night. "Safe and Clean" crews from the Capitol Riverfront Business Improvement District will help, but it will be years before most fans feel comfortable getting to the stadium by foot.

The city and the team are working hard to address all these issues. But there's a general acknowledgement that in Year 1 of Nationals Park, the most exciting action for fans might take place en route.