Letter to Secretary Panetta, Department of Defense

Letter

Today, Senators Jim Webb and Mark Warner and Representatives Jim Moran and Gerry Connolly wrote Secretary of Defense Leon Panetta expressing concern with the ability of the Department of Defense's (DoD) transportation management plan (TMP) to prevent crippling traffic congestion near the Mark Center in light of the DoD's aggressive occupancy schedule.

The current occupation schedule will transfer nearly 5,000 employees to the Mark Center by the end of this year, with the remaining employees arriving in 2012 -- well before transportation improvements are completed in 2013. In the letter, the lawmakers request that the DOD fully detail the steps necessary to reduce BRAC-generated traffic around the Mark Center. Further, the lawmakers asked the DoD to make public any increases in traffic volume at 30-day intervals.

"We are concerned that the Department's occupation plan is going forward before the appropriate transportation improvements and mitigation measures are in place. In particular, we were disappointed to learn that the DoD has decided to reduce the number of shuttle routes from Metro to the Mark Center from five to four, in clear contravention of the Department's July 2010 Final TMP," the lawmakers wrote.

"According to traffic analyses produced by the Department of the Army, the DOD Inspector General, the Virginia Department of Transportation, and others, a relocation of this magnitude will cause failing levels of service to local roadways, including I-395, without significant transportation improvements."

In an effort to reduce the impact of traffic on the surrounding roadways, the lawmakers also:

* Requested a list of any changes, and the justification for such changes, that have been made to the to the current TMP

* Urged the DoD to implement mandatory traffic-mitigation measures, including alternative work schedules and telecommuting, to avoid failing levels of service at key intersections.

BRAC #133 will relocate 6,400 DOD employees from Metro-accessible office space to the Mark Center facility off Seminary Road and I-395. With no direct access to a Metro station, the occupancy plan calls for the DOD to fully utilize 3,800 parking spaces available at the Mark Center complex. Multiple studies have found that this will cause unacceptable levels of traffic on local roadways and intersections and for the 200,000 commuters who travel on I-395 each day.

The full text of the letter follows:

September 27, 2011

The Honorable Leon Panetta
Secretary of Defense
1300 Defense Pentagon
Washington, DC 20301

Dear Secretary Panetta:

We write today to express our concern that the transportation management plan (TMP) for Base Closure and Realignment (BRAC) recommendation #133 will not prevent failing levels of service given the aggressive occupation schedule for the Mark Center complex in Alexandria, Virginia. Specifically, we are concerned that the occupation plan presented by the Department of Defense (DOD) for the Mark Center will relocate all 6,400 personnel prior to the completion of short- and mid-term transportation improvements, causing unacceptable congestion to civilian roadways, including I-395.

As you may know, BRAC #133 will relocate approximately 6,400 DOD personnel from leased office space accessible by public transit to the Mark Center, which is not proximate to any Metro station and located adjacent to I-395. According to traffic analyses produced by the Department of the Army, the DOD Inspector General, the Virginia Department of Transportation, and others, a relocation of this magnitude will cause failing levels of service to local roadways, including I-395, without significant transportation improvements.

To its credit, the DOD has reprogrammed $20 million for transportation improvements in the immediate vicinity of the Mark Center on the basis that "the existing roadway capacities around the Mark Center development will be insufficient to accommodate the influx of new traffic in connection with the BRAC recommendation." While the transportation improvements paid for by the Department will not be completed until at least December 2013, the Department's current occupation plan for the Mark Center will relocate 5,000 personnel to the BRAC site by December 2011, two full years before the transportation improvements will be completed, with the remaining personnel relocated in 2012.

With this in mind, we are concerned that the Department's occupation plan is not being adequately coordinated with appropriate transportation improvements and mitigation measures. In particular, we were disappointed to learn that the DOD has decided to reduce the number of shuttle routes from Metro to the Mark Center from five to four, in clear contravention of the Department's July 2010 Final TMP.

As a result, we request that the Department:

* Provide a list of any changes, and the justification for such changes, that have been made to the July 2010 BRAC #133 Transportation Management Plan.

* Brief our offices in full detail on the measures the Department will take to reduce traffic congestion around the Mark Center should DOD-generated traffic produce failing levels of service to the intersections surrounding the BRAC site. We believe the DOD should consider using mandatory traffic-mitigation measures, such as alternative work schedules and telecommuting, to avoid failing levels of service at key intersections.

* Publish its impact measurements of the increased traffic volume at 30-day intervals for full public review.

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