Aside from Inauguration Day, there is absolutely nothing to get excited about when the National Mall and the most important roads in Washington are shut down to accommodate some festival, marathon, or parade. President Trump now wants to compound the misery by carting in military tanks and armored vehicles so that they can sit in the heat for his “Salute to America” event on Independence Day.
D.C. is already the worst place to do anything if it involves leaving your home. All of the roads are cracked and potholed, there’s constant construction on every block, and nearly every other week there’s a public protest or event that grants organizers permission to shut down long stretches of Pennsylvania Ave., or Constitution Ave., or Madison Ave., or Jefferson Dr., further torturing commuters, whether they’re driving, biking, or even walking.
The annual Independence Day event is relatively tame, mostly contained to the Capitol Hill lawn, where there’s a concert and where visitors can view the fireworks display from across the mall. Trump this year is hosting his own event at the Lincoln Memorial and it might look nice for people watching on TV. But anyone who thought they might enjoy a stroll on the mall or a close-up view of the Lincoln statue will instead be treated to a series of barricades, gates, and Secret Service agents.
But hey, at least there will be old Army tanks!
The Washington Post reported Monday that the event itself will delay flights coming into and out of Reagan National Airport on Thursday for more than two hours because of Trump’s planned speech at the memorial. Getting access to the Mall area by the memorial will be another riot. The DCist website said there will be several entry points shared between Constitution Ave and 15th Street, both very busy highways.
As for those tanks, they’re going to be another unnecessary clog. National Park Service is warning that they might very well end up further damaging roads, sidewalks, and surrounding infrastructure due to the weight and size of things that are supposed to be used for blowing up foreign enemy territory.
If you plan on attending the event or being anywhere near the Lincoln Memorial — one of the few nice things about D.C. — good luck, and enjoy this year’s heightened misery.
Source Article from https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/opinion/trumps-salute-to-america-is-going-to-make-washington-insufferable-on-july-fourth
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