After losing home games, fans face ‘nightmare’ traffic too

After a 2-0 lead in the World Series, the Washington Nationals lost three straight games to the Houston Astros at home.  But another nightmare began when fans left Nationals Park.

Streets around the stadium were filled with cars, bumper to bumper. Normal travel times doubled and even tripled in some instances. The chance to witness history was a timely one.

The District Department of Transportation released a statement that “residents and visitors should expect significant impacts to on-street parking during the World Series.”

During the duration of the World Series for Nationals home games, DDOT restricted 19 streets for parking and closed down three roads in SE and SW.

District resident Raynard Dugger went out to watch the game and enjoy drinks and food at a nearby restaurant. With ticket prices as high as $2,000 for a single ticket, Dugger thought he was making a smart move by watching a game nearby instead of getting tickets. But the real problem started with the post-game action outside the park. Dugger said his 15 minute ride home turned into a “nightmare” of over an hour.

“I knew what I was getting myself into when I came out to this game, but I wanted to witness history,” Dugger said. “I was disappointed to see my Nats lose those games, but I didn’t even have time to soak in what just happened. Instead, I had to sit in my car for over an hour and I’m not even far from the stadium.”

Nats continue to Roll – Game Three in D.C. Friday – More Watch Parties Announced for those who don’t have tix! https://t.co/d8md1cWrCd pic.twitter.com/74et5UB8QR

— PoPville (@PoPville) October 24, 2019

As fans walked the streets talking about the game, frustration for commuters set in as they seemingly waited longer than the Nats have for their first World Series. Some people who didn’t even attend the game still had to suffer the consequences.

D.C. construction worker Marquelle Owens was just getting off work when he ran into the traffic frenzy. He usually works late at night, overtime shifts and is used to seeing clear roads. But this weekend, he was in for a rude awakening.

“I knew the park was near my work site, but I didn’t imagine it would be like this,” Owens said. “Im happy and all for the Nats, but I want to be home and happy. I just had a newborn son and I want to spend as much time with him as possible. Others enjoyed time with their families at the games but turned into a bad dream when it came to the Metro. The inside of the Nationals Park Metro Station looked like a parking lot of its own.

DeDani Estrill and his family thought they could appreciate a nice night out in the nation’s capital, but instead his one-year-old daughter cried like she knew the score of the game as they waited through delays and packed metro cars.

“When I ride the Metro to work, it usually takes me about 25 minutes from my house, and that’s with rush hour,” Estrill said in anger. “Instead it took us about 45 minutes to an hour to get home. That 20-30 extra minutes may not seem bad until you have a crying baby and cranky girlfriend.”

For Nats fans who struggled during their commute home all weekend, they can enjoy the game from home tonight as the team travels to Houston for Game 6 at 8:07 on FOX.