Alexandria officials are still waiting for the Pentagon to decide whether it’s willing to pay for bus service to its new Mark Center office building, but in the meantime have turned to the state in hopes of funding the projects should the Pentagon refuse to help. City officials anticipate traffic gridlock at the intersection of Interstate 395 and Seminary Road, the site of the Army’s new office space for about 6,400 Defense Department employees, unless road improvements are made and public transportation to the site is expanded.

The city council tentatively approved a plan to renovate four DASH buses at a cost of $150,000 each so they could be used to shuttle Mark Center workers between a Metro station and their offices, but officials are still waiting for the Army to approve the agreement. So far, no funds have been secured to improve roads near the site, where employees start work in August.