The freshly redone Pentagon South Parking Lot is open

ARLINGTON — The newly improved Pentagon South Parking Lot is now open and is anticipated to improve traffic flow for commuters.

The Pentagon South Parking Lot’s new, dedicated bus loop should decrease conflicts between passenger vehicles and buses. Additional features include new pedestrian sidewalks with fencing and barriers; new signage and pavement markings indicating the slug lanes within the parking lot; and new lighting for the bus loop, sidewalk, and slug lanes.

The $480 million I-395 Express Lanes Northern Extension Project is being delivered through a public-private partnership between the VDOT and Transurban. The Pentagon South Parking Lot improvements cost approximately $10 million, and are funded by a federal “Fast Lane” grant, as well as a combination of VDOT and federal funds.

Under a contract with Transurban, Lane Construction is the builder of the overall project, and AECOM Engineering completed the project’s design. The eight-mile 395 Express Lanes extension should open in late 2019.

Officials from the Virginia Department of Transportation (VDOT), Department of Defense’s Washington Headquarters Services, and Transurban, gathered to open the finished lot.

Currently, more than 1,800 buses and about 3,400 “sluggers” on average pass through the South Parking Lot each day. Improvements to the lot include new bus-only travel lanes and reconfigured HOV and “slug” lanes that were designed to improve traffic flow in this heavily-traveled area of the Pentagon Reservation.

The enhancements to the South Parking Lot are part of the larger I-395 Express Lanes Project. They will also help reduce traffic disruptions at the South Rotary Road and Eads Street intersection, in order to accommodate the future connection to and from the 395 Express Lanes.

“The changes to the South Parking Lot are going to have a positive impact on the thousands of commuters traveling to and from the Pentagon Reservation each day,” said Susan Shaw, Megaprojects Director of the Virginia Department of Transportation.

Shaw continued, “This important feature of the 395 Express Lanes project reinforces VDOT’s commitment to support travel choices and alternative travel modes throughout our roadway network in Northern Virginia. We want to thank our partners at the Pentagon and Transurban for sharing this commitment and helping make today’s accomplishment a reality.”

With nearly 25,000 employees, both military and civilian, the Pentagon Reservation is one of the region’s busiest commuter locations and transit points for commuters. The South Parking Lot serves as the destination point for many, as well as a transfer hub. Additionally, this and other parking lots at the Pentagon are used as staging areas for regional events such as Rolling Thunder, Army Ten-Miler, and the Marine Corps Marathon. The improvements will help traffic flow and safety for cars, buses, and pedestrians who rely on the South Parking Lot.

“We are very pleased with the improved accessibility these changes will provide for employees and visitors of the Pentagon,” said Sajeel Ahmed, Acting Director of Administration and Organizational Policy for the Office of the Chief Management Officer. “These improvements are the result of more than two years of intensive planning and hard work among all partners, and we are proud to finally be able to deliver these improvements to commuters who rely on our infrastructure in order to do their jobs.”