WASHINGTON - With Barack Obama (web | news | bio) 's swearin-in ceremony just 15 days away, there is growing concern among D.C.-area residents that they will not be able to get around on Inauguration Day.

While exact closings have not been announced, the major bridges from Arlington into D.C. and scores of downtown streets will be closed to the general public on Jan. 20, it is believed. D.C. officials hope to brief the public on the security measures sometime this week.

D.C. resident James Savoy would like to attend the historic ceremony, but he thinks he'll have the best seat in town: his living room, far from the crowds.

"The subway is going to be packed, and traffic -- you won't be able to get in town anyway," he said.

But millions are expected to try. Event planners say the best option if you are within a few miles of the National Mall is to walk or ride your bike, regardless of the weather conditions.

If you are further away, leave early and be patient, planners advise. Parking will be virtually non-existent inside the security zone, which could extend as far north as K Street, sources said.

"If you can figure out a way to build your entire trip with mass transit and walking, you'll probably have a minimal amount of frustration," D.C. City Administrator Dan Tangherlini said. 

But Metro won't make things easy. The Smithsonian and Archives-Navy Memorial stations will be closed all of Inauguration Day.  Metro plans to have special priority bus routes running. It is also running extra rail cars.  Metrorail can haul 120,000 people an hour. Planners expect 2 million or more people to attend, which means the stations are going to be beyond crowded, starting as early as 4 a.m.

The transit agency expects to set a new record ridership, perhaps by noon.

"The Metrorail system is going to extremely crowded, more so then we've ever seen before," Metro spokesman Steven Taubenkibel said. "This is going to be a monumental challenge."

Planners say cabs will likely be treated like buses, but they can only get you to the security perimeter. And cabbies worry about road closures and congestion: "I work on George Bush (web | news | bio) inauguration, this one is going to be very hard, we know," Addiacu Wolde, a D.C. cab driver, said.

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