U.S. Open Transportation Guide

The U.S. Open has officially kicked off at , and the nation’s golf championship is expected to draw a quarter-million spectators to Bethesda throughout the week. Here’s a few important things you need to know about getting to and from the tournament, and avoiding all that extra traffic.

The championship will wrap up Sunday.

Parking Shuttles

Remember, there is no on-site parking at Congressional. 180 shuttles will be operating from the designated parking areas at the Montgomery County Fairgrounds – located at 16 Chestnut Street in Gaithersburg -- and the Crown Farm property in Gaithersburg, off Fields Road south of Sam Eig Highway. The shuttles will run from 6a.m.-9p.m. daily during the tournament. Monday and Tuesday, all spectators should park at the Fairgrounds. Wednesday through Sunday, spectators travelling northbound on I-270 should park at Crown Farm, and those travelling southbound on I-270 should continue to park at the Fairgrounds. The trip from the lots to Congressional should take about 25 minutes.

Parking is also available in a reserved lot at Dulles Airport, but a parking pass is required. Spectators should call the championship office at (301) 365-5500 to reserve a parking pass.

Metrorail

As of Friday, passes for the Metro shuttles have sold out for the remainder of the tournament. Metro commuters who have already reserved passes with Transportation Management Services, Inc., USGA's Metro shuttle contractor, should take the Red Line to the Grosvenor-Strathmore stop. The ride costs $8 and should take about 20 minutes. 

Metrobus

The Ride On 36 bus operates between the Bethesda Metro station and Normally, the bus only operates on weekdays, but to accommodate spectators,  the bus will now run Saturday and Sunday every half hour from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m.

County officials are reminding spectators to get off the bus at the Connolly School stop and use the pedestrian bridge over Bradley Boulevard to enter at the fifth hole gate. Walk-up spectators are not being allowed through Congressional's main gate. Commuters using other Ride On routes should not use the River Road stop in front of Congressional.

The T2 Metrobus also runs to the club from the Rockville and Friendship Heights metro stops, and operates on the weekends.

More information about taking the bus is available via the county’s website.

Passenger Drop Off

A drop-off location will be staged at the for passenger, taxi or limousine drop off. Vehicles with 15 passengers or fewer can drop off spectators here.  The school won’t be accessible via River Road, however – cars will need to access the school via Bradley Boulevard. Private coaches and mini-buses will be directed to the Fairgrounds and will not be able to offload at Norwood.

Biking

Cyclists can park their bikes at the Norwood school.

Areas to Avoid

If you’re not going to the championship, expect significant delays due to shuttle and other traffic along the major routes surrounding Congressional. If possible, avoid:

• River Road from the Capital Beltway to Falls Road
• Falls Road from I-270 to Oaklyn Drive
• Seven Locks Road from River Road to Democracy Boulevard
• Persimmon Tree Road
• Bradley Boulevard
• Persimmon Tree Lane
• Oaklyn Drive

This post has been updated.