My Commute to Fort Meade

DISA employee Tracy Sharpe took it upon herself to find out just what it would take to commute from Northern Virginia to Fort Meade, Md. What follows is her account of the commute — which inspired us to test the commute from other locations, including Fairfax, Woodbridge, Alexandria, and Waldorf.

Visit the "Commuting" page to view a comparison of commute times and learn about alternative commuting options, such as ridesharing and mass transit.

Why did the DISA employee cross the bridge? To get to Fort Meade, of course.

No, really. I wondered what the commute from northern Virginia to Fort Meade would be like — during rush hour or during a rainstorm. For the sake of curiosity, I made that commute. I left Springfield at 6:30 a.m. on a Wednesday morning, commuted to Fort Meade, then back again at 4 p.m.

I was pleasantly surprised by my morning commute; not so pleasantly surprised at the length of the afternoon commute.

I picked Springfield because many DISA employees live in neighborhoods surrounding the I-495/I-95/I-395 interchange. While I understand most employees start their commutes at various times, 6:30 a.m. seemed reasonable for such a long distance. Choosing to return at 4 p.m. also seemed pretty close to the end of a typical work day.

Road Trip

I started at the Springfield Mall. I got on I-95 north then exited to I-395 north. I zipped through D.C., taking I-395 to its end and exiting at Pennsylvania Avenue. In less than a mile, I turned left at the first stop light onto I-295 north. The trip from Springfield to I-295 took almost 30 minutes.

I could have taken the Woodrow Wilson Bridge, but I anticipated that the route through the city would be quicker at that hour.

I-295 was a breeze. After 20 minutes, I found my exit to Route 198 east towards Fort Meade. After rounding a few traffic circles, I arrived at Fort Meade's Mapes 32 gate. The time was 7:23 a.m. There was no line of cars waiting for entry to the compound. I suppose most other Fort Meade employees entered a different way or were already settled at their desks.

And, just to let you know, I drove the speed limit the whole way as I figured a speeding ticket would have slowed me down and messed up the test. 

On the Road Again

At 4 p.m., the rain came down in sheets. Traffic reports on the radio listed several accidents in Virginia.

My trip on Route 198 west and the first part of I-295 south went well enough. I had been advised by co-workers to take I-295 all the way to the Woodrow Wilson Bridge. As I drove along I-295 south and passed Bolling Air Force Base, traffic slowed to a crawl.

The traffic speed averaged 3 miles per hour for a good 20 minutes. After 2 miles, I saw my exit to the Woodrow Wilson Bridge. I finally got on I-495 west to I-95 south.

Once I got on the bridge, it was a smooth ride to Springfield.

The return trip to Springfield from Fort Meade took 90 minutes. There are other routes through the city. They are all worth a try, and perhaps they might be better than mine. Perhaps the rain slowed things down.

Changes Afoot

But there is a silver lining, or, perhaps, a steel lining. The Woodrow Wilson Bridge will have 10 travel lanes — five in each direction — and two lanes reserved for future transit or high-occupancy-vehicle use by November 2008. By the end of this year, the bottleneck that I experienced on my return trip might be history.