Metro plans to increase its bus service later this summer to accommodate a massive move of military workers to the Mark Center, Fort Belvoir and Andrews Air Force Base. The transit agency is considering adding new routes, running buses more often and even offering free rides to military workers and government contractors on one line.
“It’ll be a good step forward,” said James Hamre, Metro’s director of bus planning. “There’s no single answer to solve the traffic problems, so every little bit helps.”
| Planned new bus service for BRAC |
| • Start a new bus route, 7M, to run between Pentagon and Mark Center from 5:40 a.m. until 6:30 p.m. every 10 to 15 minutes during peak hours and every 15 minutes during midday. Defense employees and contractors could ride the bus — or any 7 line bus — for free. |
| • Run the K12 route from Branch Avenue Metro to Andrews Air Force Base, where workers will board private shuttle buses to get around the base. |
| • Run additional trips on 22A between Ballston to Arlington Hall, where the National Foreign Affairs Training Center is located. |
| • Extend existing REX service from Huntington Metro station until 11 p.m. for late-night shifts at the Fort Belvoir hospital. |
| Proposed new service |
| • A new 27X express bus between Franconia-Springfield and Fort Belvoir hospital has been proposed. Metro’s James Hamre said Fairfax County is weighing that option against a possible Fairfax Connector route. |
The massive Defense Department move, ordered by a military base-closing commission, is shuffling tens of thousands of workers to new job sites but has been widely criticized for not taking into account how the workers will get to their jobs each day — or where they will park. At the Mark Center, there will be only 3,700 parking spots for 6,400 workers, according to Alexandria’s deputy director of transportation Abi Lerner. And the work sites aren’t near Metrorail stops.
Two years ago, Hamre said, Metro officials studied what transit options would be needed to accommodate the new influx of workers, but little happened as everyone waited to see who would pick up the tab.
“Everyone’s been playing a game of chicken,” Hamre said.
Now, Metro officials are scrambling at the last minute to get plans in place by Aug. 8. The military move is scheduled for Sept. 15. But to meet the deadline, some federal agencies are planning to move some employees in August.
Normally it takes six months to implement bus changes, Hamre said, but Metro has brought most of the plans together in less than two months. Officials are slated to present some of the options to Metro’s board of directors Thursday.
“I hope this demonstrates that Metrobus is an active partner with our local jurisdictions to solve problems,” he said. “And even when they aren’t in the normal cycle of scheduling, we find a way.”
Mary Hynes, who serves on both the Metro and Arlington County boards, laughed when asked if the extra bus service would help solve the expected traffic problems.
“We’re all trying to do the best we can in what is a very difficult situation here,” she said.
The federal government and localities will pay for the extra service. Hamre said the Pentagon has agreed to pay for a new bus line, the 7M, to run to Mark Center and for federal workers and contractors to ride for free on all 7-line buses.
