By CQ Staff

For the first time, the entire length of the National Mall will be open to the public on Inauguration Day Jan. 20.

The decision to allow public access to the grounds between the Capitol and Lincoln Memorial was made to accommodate what’s expected to be the largest crowd to ever attend a presidential inauguration. Estimates range from one million to five million people, and most won’t have tickets allowing them access to the Capitol grounds, where the swearing-in of Barack Obama as the nation’s 44th president will take place.

But they will be able to watch the ceremony on large television screens the Presidential Inauguration Committee plans to set up at various points along the two-mile length of the mall.

“This will be an Inauguration for all Americans,” said Washington, D.C. Mayor Adrian M. Fenty. “And so we are dedicated to opening it up so that people from across the country can gather together in America’s front yard.

In the past, the mall has been closed to the public on Inauguration Day to provide a staging ground for the inaugural parade. But given the large turnout that’s expected, federal and local officials decided to relocate the parade preparations to another location.

“We’re grateful to local, federal, and military officials for their efforts to open up the National Mall to Americans who want to participate in this historic occasion,” said Emmett S. Beliveau, executive director of the inauguration committee.

For continuous updates on inauguration planning, go to http://www.pic2009.org.