Researchers Say Pentagon Needs To Pony Up For BRAC Problems

Tens of thousands of Army employees will be moving to new locations in Virginia and Maryland later this year, and that could create major congestion on local highways.

The Army employees will be moving to installations in Fairfax County, Virginia and Montgomery and Anne Arundel Counties in Maryland as part of the Defense Department's Base Realignment and Closure -- or BRAC -- process.

A panel with the Transportation Research Board says these moves will cripple traffic in the region, while localities don't have enough time or resources to respond.

In its congressionally-mandated report released Monday morning, the panel called on the Defense Department to pay for road improvements outside of its military bases -- something it's rarely done in the past. The Transportation Research Board also says the communities benefiting from the BRAC process need to give financial assistance to communities that aren't.