Defense Department officials have revised their plans to install new security measures near the Pentagon Metro Station, saving the station’s 30,000 daily commuters from major headaches.
Pentagon officials in July announced plans to heighten safety by moving existing security checkpoints farther away from the Pentagon and closer to existing bus bays.
But members of the Northern Virginia Transportation Commission, a group of elected and appointed officials who oversee local transportation services, protested the changes, saying they would slow commutes and limit the ability of disabled passengers to access Metro elevators.
The move was announced roughly four months after a gunman approached the Pentagon alongside Metro commuters and opened fire on nearby security officers, wounding two.
“This might be ideal for the Pentagon and Pentagon security, but we have to look out for the safety and concerns of our passengers,” NVTC and Metro board of directors member Jeff McKay said shortly after Pentagon officials announced their initial plans for security changes in July.
But after weeks of discussions, Defense Department officials acquiesced to the transportation commission’s protests and drafted new plans that are less disruptive to local bus and rail commuters.
The National Capital Planning Commission has approved the Defense Department’s new plan to install four additional security checkpoints and one new screening facility near the Pentagon Metro Station.
Metro passengers no longer will be able to use one covered walkway on the Pentagon’s south side. But the Defense Department has agreed to erect a new canopy to protect an alternative pathway from the elements, and passengers will retain access to all elevators and escalators.
“The Pentagon was very much empathetic to the points we were raising,” NVTC and Metro board member Cathy Hudgins said. “We had meetings that allowed us to see the problem, and together we created solutions.”
McKay agreed.
“It shows that when good minds come together you can come up with a solution that benefits everyone,” McKay said. “[The Defense Department] needs Metro to get their employees to and from that building. So it was in their best interest to find a solution that made everyone happy.”
Pentagon officials plan to install the new security measures and commuter canopies in the next two months.
