BRAC and Traffic in Northern Virginia

In 2005, the Base Closure and Realignment (BRAC) Commission put forward recommendations to Congress that included moving more than 22,000 Department of Defense (DoD) personnel to Fort Belvoir by September 2011. Congressman Moran voted against this decision because it moves people from Metro accessible offices, forcing thousands of more cars onto our already congested roadways.

Opposing BRAC from the beginning, Moran has fought tirelessly to reduce its impact on the communities connected to Ft. Belvoir and the Mark Center in Alexandria. He has secured $200 million in federal funds for BRAC-related transportation improvements across the region including the widening of Route 1, lane widening and new exit ramps at the Mark Center, while preserving community spaces like the Winkler Preserve. Moran, working with Senators Warner and Webb instilled a parking cap of 2,000 spots at the Mark Center facility until congestion around the site can be mitigated.

BRAC #133: Mark Center, Alexandria Virginia

In 2008, after recognizing that relocating so many personnel to Ft. Belvoir would create a three to four hour backup on major roadways near the base as well as a 2 hour delay on I-95 every morning, the DoD decided to seek an alternate location for 6,400 employees. Former Congressman Tom Davis (R-VA) and Congressman Moran advocated strenuously for the location to be at the current GSA warehouse in Springfield (which sits next to the Springfield Metro Station). The lawmakers even succeeded in passing authorizing language allowing GSA to transfer ownership of the property to the DoD.

Regrettably, in the final outcome, the Army made their decision on cost consideration alone, selecting the Mark Center. The Mark Center site, while lacking public transit and sufficient transportation infrastructure to handle this new workforce, was the low bidder, also beating out the Victory Center on Eisenhower Ave. Rep. Moran immediately criticized the decision.

By September 2012, all 6,400 personnel will have moved to the Mark Center facility located off I-395 and Seminary Road in Alexandria. According to the Virginia Department of Transportation (VDOT), the complete relocation will cause traffic congestion at surrounding intersections to a point designated as “failure”, adding significant delays to the daily commutes of hundreds of thousands of Northern Virginia residents.

Working with members of the Alexandria community, the Department of Defense, and colleagues in the House and Senate, Congressman Moran has made repeated efforts to mitigate the effect of this impending gridlock.

Transportation Infrastructure Funding: Congressman Moran believes that the DoD should fund their fair share of necessary transportation infrastructure improvements to implement the BRAC relocation. To that end, in January 2011 the DoD announced it would  pay for an estimated $20 million in short- and mid-term transportation improvements. Those improvements include an additional lane from Seminary to I-395 South, a widening of I-395, lane restriping, and a pedestrian bridge from Southern Towers to the Mark Center.

In February 2011, VDOT announced it would spend $80 million for a direct access ramp from the I-395 HOV ramp to Seminary Road. The proposed HOV ramp is currently being reviewed by the Federal Highway Administration, and if built, would be in place in 2015.  For that reason, Moran has repeatedly called for a delay in the full implementation of the BRAC recommendation until there is sufficient road capacity to handle the move.

Parking Cap: Included in the FY’12 Omnibus Appropriations Bill signed into law December 23, 2011 was a provision authored by Congressman Moran to limit the number of parking spaces at the Mark Center to 2,000. This provision will ensure that traffic on I-395 and roads surrounding the facility do not grow any worse than current levels.  That cap would be in place unless traffic does not reach failing levels of service for 90 consecutive days.  Should 90 days without failure occur, the Department would be able to waive the cap in part if they and VDOT agree on the number of additional spaces that could be used.

DOD IG Investigation: Congressman Moran requested an investigation by the DOD Inspector General of the entire site selection process. The Inspector General released two reports, in April and November 2011, that detailed a number of problems with the Army’s selection of the Mark Center site, bolstering the argument that the DoD should assist in preventing a traffic calamity of their own design.

The parking cap provision included in FY’12 Omnibus Appropriations Bill also requires the Army implement the Inspector General’s recommendations from their most recent report. These recommendations include completion of a new traffic study, with accurate data, and revise and update their transportation management plan.
 

Materials on BRAC #133:

• GAO study on DoD road improvements program
• National Academy of Sciences review of DoD road improvements program
• August 2010 letter to Secretary of Defense (.pdf)
• Response to August 2010 letter from Secretary McHugh (.pdf)
• January 19, 2011 letter to Secretary of Defense
• Response to January 2011 letter from Secretary Carter (.pdf)
• Moran Op-Ed in the Washington Post
• Moran Op-Ed in the Washington Examiner
• Connection Newspapers: Mark Center Chosen As Final BRAC Site
• Washington Business Journal: Pentagon studying Mark Center decision
• Official notification from the Army regarding $20 million for Mark Center improvements (.pdf)
• Timeline of Rep. Moran’s involvement in BRAC

Fort Belvoir

Fort Belvoir Main Post and Engineering Proving Grounds expects to accommodate more than 13,000 new personnel under the 2005 BRAC recommendations. At the Main Post, Fort Belvoir will add approximately 5,000 government and contractor employees, the majority of whom will work at the new Fort Belvoir Community Hospital, set to replace the closing Walter Reed Medical Center and DeWitt Army hospital.  The new Fort Belvoir Community hospital must also accommodate hundreds of patients, wounded warriors, and their families on a daily basis.  At the Engineering Proving Grounds, 8,500 government and contractor personnel will work at the headquarters of the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency.

Route 1 needs to be widened to accommodate the large influx of personnel and hospital traffic coming to the area. In 2011, Congressman Moran worked to successfully include $180 million to widen Route 1 from 4 to six lanes from Telegraph Road to Mulligan Road.