U.S. Rep. Jim Moran urged local officials on Wednesday to cement plans for what he called “pretty much an impossible task” — accommodating the 20,000 military personnel slated to move to Fort Belvoir next year.
In a meeting with state transportation officials and Fairfax County supervisors, the Virginia Democrat said they need to have plans in place by March for how to use $150 million allotted to ease traffic concerns expected with the military’s Base Realignment and Closure program.
The funds were included in a defense appropriations bill as a way to improve access to the new hospital being constructed at the base.
“One can question the decision,” he said of the relocation plan. “That’s moot now. The more serious issue is the timing.”
The consensus among Fairfax County officials was that widening U.S. Route 1 would be the best way to ease congestion.
The Virginia Department of Transportation estimates it would cost $130 million to widen the road between Fairfax County Parkway and the intersections of Buckman Road South and Radford Avenue.
One county supervisor echoed Moran, saying they need to implement plans rather than just talk about them.
“We’ve got to get on our horse here,” said Fairfax Supervisor Jeff McKay, D-Lee. “We’ve got to get going. In road-building years, that’s tomorrow.”
Acknowledging the impossibility of finishing the entire project before military brass arrives in September 2011, he said the widening should be done in phases — with the areas closest to the base receiving top priority.
A previous Army Corps of Engineers study found that the additional personnel would create three- to four-hour backups.
Officials also discussed using the money for a $5 million transit study and a proposed $15 million Interstate 95 high-occupancy vehicle flyover ramp at Newington, which would ensure direct access to the fort’s Engineering Proving Ground.
Moran also expressed frustration with the Defense Department for not adequately preparing for the 6,400 personnel slated for the Mark Center in Alexandria. He wrote a letter to Defense Secretary Robert Gates on Tuesday asking the department to use defense transportation funds for a direct ramp and HOV lanes to the center, which is expected to cost $60 million.
“I’m tempted to tell them: It’s your mess, you deal with it,” he said.
