Rep. Jim Moran, D-Va., didn’t quite get his wish, but his effort to force the Pentagon to fix traffic congestion problems near Alexandria’s Mark Center remains in the 2011 Defense Authorization Bill that the House approved last week.
The provision Moran inserted into the massive defense bill was pared down, but would require the Army to submit within 90 days a detailed plan to fund and construction traffic improvements around the site to which thousands of defense workers are expected to move.
The provision that limits parking on the site to 1,000 spaces, as Moran wanted, was removed.
The improvements are necessary to prevent “failing levels of service at the six key intersections around the Mark Center,” according to Moran spokesman Austin Durrer.
The Army has until September 2011 to transfer thousands of defense workers to the Mark Center and experts warned of the inevitable gridlock along Seminary Road and Interstate 395 once the employees start commuting to the new facility.
Moran’s original provision required that full funding for transportation improvements be appropriated and the improvements completed before the Army could begin transferring defense workers to the site. Durrer said the Moran will resubmit the original language with the next Defense Authorization Bill.
