Gridlock expected as 16,800 employees returned to their offices at the Washington Navy Yards Monday did not manifest.
District Department of Transportation (DDOT) safety officers were stationed on M Street across from Van Ness Elementary School early in the morning, but had little to do before students began to arrive just before 8 a.m..
Many personnel took advantage of alternate transportation methods as they returned to their offices. A steady stream of personnel could be seen headed east on M Street SE from the metro station on foot, with some frustrated by one tricky secured entrance gate at Ninth Street. Some parked ride-share scooters nearby and a few entered the gates with their bicycles.
However, a Naval spokesperson said, a rise in traffic could still be coming.
“I feel yesterday is a mixture of factors, which are not representative of a steady state,” said Naval Support Activity Washington Public Affairs Officer Phil Smarz.
The Washington Navy Yard has been gaming out the consequences of a proposed land exchange that will lead to a reduction in parking. As a result, Smarz said that Naval Support Activity Washington (NSAW) has been highlighting alternatives for months.
As part of these strategies, the frequency of a pre-existing shuttle bus travels from L’Enfant Plaza to Washington Navy Yard was increased to every 5 minutes in December. Personnel were working on an expansion of the contract to include Union Station and the WMATA Anacostia garage at the end of this year. “With the changes, there is a sprint to make that happen by March,” Smarz said.
NSAW has received tremendous help from the community through a variety of agencies and organizations such as WMATA, goDCgo, DDOT, ConnectingVA, GWRideConnect, Washington Headquarters Services and many others. “Due to multiple months of education efforts, we did have a high number of personnel that leveraged alternative means yesterday,” Smarz said.
But Smarz said Monday, Feb. 10 was not a true test of the systems. It was the Monday after Super Bowl Sunday, he pointed out.
Tuesday might have been a better indicator, but the Office of Personnel Management (OPM) issued a snow advisory allowing for telework and staggered dismissal.
Finally, Smarz said many personnel are currently engaged in Citadel Shield-Solid Curtain, an annual two-part force protection training exercise.
“Next week should be a better indicator of a steady state and we will continue to explore options and make adjustments,” the public information officer said.
Councilmember Charles Allen (D), who encouraged residents to avoid the area, credited the close coordination between Navy Yard leadership and DC agencies for solutions to mitigate the worst impacts in warnings from Navy Yard officials. “In addition, our calls for people returning to in-person work to use transit were heeded,” he said.
Transit is key to making the commute work for all moving forward, Allen said. “There’s no math that exists to handle everyone if they come by car and expect to find cheap and easy parking. The only way it works is with transit.” Allen encourages commuters to continue to sue those methods, he said, “as well as to enjoy this great neighborhood and everything it has to offer.”
An earlier version of this story misidentified the school across from the Ninth and M Street SE gate to Washington Navy Yard. It has been corrected. The Hill Rag regrets the error.
