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Police Plan To Close Huge Chunks Of DC For Barry's Party

Every bridge crossing the Potomac and 3.5 square miles of downtown DC will be closed to traffic from January 19 until the morning of January 21, the Secret Service has announced. Department of Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff says the closures are part of "the most security, as far as I'm aware, that any inauguration has had."

Thanks to the bridge closures, Virginia has decided to close the inside-the-Beltway sections of Interstates 66 and 395. Maryland hasn't yet announced similar measures, though the state's transportation department compared the odds of finding a parking spot on January 20 to those of hitting the Mega Millions.

For those trying to get to the parade route, there will be just 13 walk-up security checkpoints, which seems like not many given that more than 1 million people will likely be in town for the event. In its typically humorless fashion, the Secret Service has this advice on its inaugural security website:

It is expected that lines may be long.

Related Stories:
· US Secret Service Inaugural Plan [Official Site]
· Inauguration to Close Bridges, Streets in DC [AP, via HuffPo]
· Sail To The Chief: Inauguration Transportation Options [Jaunted]
· DC Bikers To Get Special Inauguration Parking [Jaunted]