The Wharf: How to get there

One of Washington, D.C.’s most ambitious projects is expected to open later this week.

The Wharf, located at the Southwest Waterfront, is a $2 billion project that is expected to bring two new music venues, a park, a variety of retailers including Politics & Prose, a hotel, two new apartment buildings, and much more. The opening is expected to offer a wide variety of events, including celebrity actor Kevin Bacon.

According to WTOP, the District’s Department of Transportation (DDOT) anticipates there being 20,000 people visiting The Wharf each day for the opening week. To help commuters, the DDOT will unveil signs nearby to inform drivers of alternate routes during this time. Traffic signal timing along Maine Avenue SW will also be optimized.

For those who are anticipating on tackling the traffic by making a visit, Curbed DC has put together a few suggestions.

Take the Metro.

The closest Metro station to The Wharf is the Waterfront Metro station. From there, one can walk about half a mile, or approximately 15 minutes, to the neighborhood.

Simply walk southeast along Main Avenue SW, and you’ll be able to make your way to each of the buildings and venues that The Wharf will have to offer.

Grab a bike.

If you’re not too far, try out some of the many bike-share options Washington, D.C., has recently acquired over the last couple months. There are now a total of five bike-share companies who have expanded to the District.

These companies include Spin, Mobike, LimeBike, Ofo, and Capital Bikeshare. Local blog Greater Greater Washington has the full intel on what the big differences are between these three companies.

Rather than download five apps in order to search for the nearest bike, simply download the Transit app. This free app shows where every bike, bus, and Metro station is located.

Ride the bus.

The buses and Circulators that travel to The Wharf are the W9, 74, P6, and V1 buses.

There is also a free, public shuttle, known as the SW Neighborhood Shuttle. It features 10-minute headways with hours that end at 10 p.m. on Sundays through Thursdays and midnight on Fridays and Saturdays.

The shuttle route spans from The Wharf at 800 Maine Avenue SW to L’Enfant Plaza at 7th Street SW and Maryland Avenue SW to the National Mall at 7th Street SW and Independence Avenue SW to L’Enfant Retail on 10th Street SW.

Leave the car at home.

Driving might seem like the best option if you’re coming from a long distance, but try to reconsider. WTOP reported that a portion of street side parking along Maine Avenue SW will be made unavailable, so the amount of parking is going to be a little tight.

If you must drive, be sure to reserve a garage parking space in advance by using apps like SpotHero and ParkingPanda.

When it comes to what to put into your GPS before you head towards The Wharf, the exact address is 1100 Maine Avenue SW, right off of I-395, I-695, and 7th Street SW.

For more detailed directions on how exactly to drive to The Wharf, check out the project’s official website here.