Virginia has plans to fix the traffic nightmare expected at Mark Center, the Pentagon’s new office building in Alexandria, but the state needs more time to complete the work, according to Gov. Bob McDonnell. In a letter sent to Defense Secretary Robert Gates on May 6, the governor asked the Pentagon to partially delay the shift of 6,400 defense workers to the Mark Center, a move that by law must be completed by Sept. 15. The move is a part of the Pentagon’s Base Realignment and Closure program.
The Army agreed to spend $20 million on short-term transportation improvements around the Mark Center site, located near the already congested intersection of Interstate 395 and Seminary Road. And the Virginia Department of Transportation will spend $80 million on a new off-ramp from the interstate’s high-occupancy vehicle lanes. But construction will take three to five years and none of these changes will be complete before workers move to the site.
“To ensure these transitions are successful and do not result in gridlock for commuters and military personnel alike, we must work together to ensure that our transportation system is ready before we shift large numbers of new employees to our military bases,” McDonnell said in a statement.
McDonnell asked the Pentagon to reimburse VDOT for expenses on the Seminary Road HOV ramp since the Army is to blame for failing to recognize the state’s concerns about Mark Center traffic, he said. The Pentagon’s inspector general found that the Army relied on incomplete and inaccurate information in determining that the new office buildings would not cause significant traffic problems.
Members of Alexandria’s City Council said they were grateful for the governor’s letter, but aren’t sure it will provide the relief they seek.
“The major obstacle at least in my estimation is that the BRAC legislation mandates that the relocations be complete by Sept. 15,” said Vice Mayor Kerry Donley. “So I don’t know that a letter is going to necessarily solve the problem, because I don’t know that DOD has the legal authority to delay the relocation.”
Since BRAC was a congressionally approved process, any changes or delays must be authorized by Congress, according to Army spokesman Dave Foster.
