Redskins Game Expected To Cause Major Traffic

An unusual start time for Monday night's Washington Redskins season opener could create a traffic nightmare during the rush hour commute.

Kickoff is scheduled for 7:10 Monday night — at least an hour earlier than most Monday Night Football games and right in the heart of D.C. rush hour. That means in addition to the already packed roadways and Metro cars, there will be an additional 85,000 Redskins fans making their way to FedEx Field.

Tailgaters are showing up early for what will be a capacity crowd for tonight's kickoff. David Buck at the Maryland State Highway Administration says if you want to get to the game on time, leave an hour or two early.

"A substantial amount of people are coming in on 95. Most folks tend to use either Arena Drive or 202, Landover Road," Buck says. "If you are coming from the Montgomery County side, or if you are coming from Columbia or Laurel, bypass those two exits and go down to 214. Central Avenue is always the better bet out of the three exits."

Tonight's traffic promises to be extra heavy, as the normal rush hour will mix with fans trying to get to the game in time for kickoff.

"We have extra patrols out to help people, inevitably when people run out of gas or something happens to their vehicle," Buck says. "And there are scalpers and people that come up the ramps to sell tickets and that is a problem as well, and obviously the police will have their hands full with the sheer number of pedestrians that are walking in across Arena Drive."

Monica Hernandez at the District Department of Transportation says you don't have to drive if you don't mind walking from the Metro.

"It's an option. You can always take the Blue Line over to Morgan Boulevard station. It's pretty much a mile away from the stadium," she says.

For drivers, the State Highway Administration says there won't be any construction work along I-95 in Prince George s County tonight.