How long would it take to entirely evacuate the nation’s capital in the event of a disaster? The District of Columbia Department of Transportation is looking to a New York firm to find out.

Using a grant from the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, DDOTrecently awarded a $300,000 contract to Commack, N.Y.-based KLD Associates Inc. to develop an “evacuation timing model to further support its evacuation planning efforts,” said Erik Linden, DDOT spokesman. KLD will evaluate and estimate evacuation times during an emergency, Linden said.