Montgomery County officials were cautiously optimistic over the Senate’s Wednesday passage of a bill that includes $3 million to address traffic problems expected to occur near Bethesda’s National Naval Medical Center after military base realignment.

Officials in the office of U.S. Sen. Barbara Mikulski’s (D-Md.) said the money was to plan how to deal with increased traffic as the military presence in the area expands. The facility is expected to see at least 1,400 more workers and 435,000 more patients each year once functions are transferred from Walter Reed Army Medical Center to the National Naval Medical Center, according to published accounts.