Military bases face traffic gridlock

February 08, 2011|Associated Press

ANNAPOLIS, Md. — The Pentagon should pay more for transportation improvements around military bases that are getting tens of thousands of new workers under a national realignment plan, a report commissioned by Congress recommended yesterday.

The report by the National Research Council’s Transportation Research Board looked at six large bases: Fort Meade and the National Naval Medical Center in Maryland, Fort Belvoir in Virginia, Joint Base Lewis-McChord in Washington, Florida’s Eglin Air Force Base, and Fort Bliss, Texas.

They are among 18 domestic bases slotted to expand as others are closed or reduced in size under a periodic review called base realignment. The current realignment plane was approved by Congress in 2005 and is gradually being implemented.

The report warned that the early stages of base realignment and other sources of military growth, including troops returning from two wars, are already causing “severe’’ transportation problems at most of the six facilities studied.

“Although the committee cannot predict the consequences, congestion could be sufficiently severe to affect the military and surrounding communities negatively by preventing personnel from reaching work within acceptable commute times,’’ the report said.

But the Defense Department considers its responsibilities for off-base transportation needs to be limited, the report said.