Officials in Washington, D.C., are looking at traffic issues surrounding an office complex in Alexandria, Virginia, where some say an excess of U.S. Army allocated parking spaces has created congestion at neighboring intersections that borders on gridlock, according to the Washington Post.

Currently, the Army is working with traffic engineers to evaluate the impact of the Mark Center complex, to which the military branch transferred some 6,400 workers. Officials recently proposed a bill to Congress that would reduce the Army's allocated parking spaces in and around the complex to 2,000, a parking solution that would likely involve new working schedules for Army employees.

Parking solutions in major office complexes can often improve traffic flow at surrounding intersections. By minimizing the time commuters spend looking for a parking space, a parking guidance system can cut down on emissions and congestion. Some guidance solutions integrate parking sensors to direct drivers to open spaces, rather than forcing them to search for a space level by level.
Officials hope that new traffic studies will provide prescriptive solutions soon, as the Mark Center complex expects to host an increasing number of employees going into 2012. In addition to the parking guidance solutions, engineers are looking at traffic signal optimization efforts and other traffic projects.