Help Offered for Mark Center Slugs

By Laura Cirillo

WOODBRIDGE, Va. — A recently created distribution list may provide some relief for commuters who travel to and from Mark Center.

Carpoolers, called Slugs, have turned to the electronic message boards at slug-lines.com to organize new Slug pick up or drop off points (Slug lines) in hopes of an easier, more direct way to travel. In response, the distribution list at MarkCenterSluggers@whs.mil was created to serve as a communication tool for Slugs that commute to and from the Mark Center, which is located off Interstate 395 in Alexandria.

More to the Story: See the changes to the Rosslyn and Pentagon Slug lines illustrated on our Commuter Parking Lots in the Potomac Communities Map. Zoom into the Dale City area and look for the red exclamation points.

Whether a Slug is looking for a ride, or for passengers to pick up, they can use the distribution list to reach out to all individuals who subscribe. By sending an email stating when they are leaving and where they are going, Slugs can coordinate rides by responding directly to the sender, according to organizers.

As federal workers continue move into Mark Center between now and September, this distribution list is expected to help Slugs establish relationships with others who live in the same areas and have similar work schedules, organizers said.

Slugs can email the distribution list email address directly to request to be added or removed from the list.

To ensure success of the program, it is imperative that Slugs spread the word and share the distribution list with others looking for commuting alternatives to the Mark Center.

Completed in Fall 2011, the Mark Center is part the Department of Defense’s BRAC program, which has relocated thousands of military and federal workers to the center, as well as Fort Belvoir and Quantico.