Traffic Delays with BRAC

WASHINGTON DC - Congress is on the verge of voting to spend $300 million dollars for traffic improvements around growing military facilities in Virginia and Maryland, but the improvements will happen years after expected traffic woes.

In 2005, Congress accepted BRAC (Base Realignment And Closing) recommendations to move thousands of jobs to more secure locations at Bethesda Naval Medical Center, in Maryland, and at Ft. Belvoir, in Virginia.
Little money was appropriated at the time for traffic management. Large construction projects at both facilities were begun. The thousands of job transfers, under the 2005 law, are supposed to begin in the next few months.
The Congressional delegations from both states have now succeeded in adding the $300 million to the current big budget deal.

In Bethesda, a pedestrian tunnel will be constructed under Wisconsin Avenue. Currently, there are about 3,000 daily pedestrian trips across that roadway. When the new Walter Reed Army Hospital opens at the Bethesda campus, the number of pedestrian trips is expected to grow to 7,000 a day.

New elevators will also be added, allowing people on the East side of Wisconsin Avenue to descend to the Metro station without crossing the street. The new federal money will also pay for improvements at nearby intersections.
But almost all of those improvements are two, three, or four years away.

A similar situation exists at Ft. Belvoir. The new money will help pay for a badly-needed widening of Route One. A median strip will also be added -- to make the road safer. Pedestrian improvements are also part of the plan. Some space will also be set aside for a possible future transit system.

Again, the improvements around Ft. Belvoir are years away. Thousands of new employees are scheduled to be assigned to the post in the next six months, worsening the already-slow traffic during rush hours.