Reps Suggest Slugging At Pentagon During Summer Metro Shutdown

ARLINGTON, VA — Members of Congress representing Northern Virginia and DC are pushing for a Pentagon location for slug lines as the Interstate 66 corridor prepares for a summer Metro shutdown of several Orange Line stations.

The four members of Congress wrote a letter asking Washington Headquarters Services to look into creating slugging pick-up and drop-off points at the Pentagon. Slugging, a practice of coordinating carpools, allows commuters to meet HOV requirements on Express Lanes to avoid tolls. Routes along the I-66 corridor to the Pentagon would connect commuters to Metro's Yellow Line into DC.

The representatives' letter, shared by a slugging group on Twitter, says slugging has been more active on the Interstate 95/395 corridor, but the representatives expect there will be growing interest during the summer Metro shutdown. The letter also cited the Virginia Department of Transportation's planned change of I-66 inside the Beltway from HOV-2 to HOV-3. This change will happen once the Express Lanes outside the Beltway likely open in 2022.

"Establishing additional slugging pick-up and drop-off points could make the slugging more reliable and convenient for commuters," the letter reads.

The letter was signed by Reps. Gerry Connolly, Eleanor Holmes Norton, Don Beyer, and Jennifer Wexton. The recipient, Washington Headquarters Service, is the Pentagon-based agency providing administrative services to the Department of Defense.

Metro's platform rehabilitation project will shut down the Vienna, Dunn Loring and East Falls Church stations between Memorial Day and Labor Day. West Falls Church will remain open because two of its platforms can be under construction at a time. Riders should expect single tracking and less frequent service. East Falls Church will be closed to riders, but Orange and Silver Line trains will pass through using a single track. Metro plans to announce free shuttle buses and more service information in March.

There are two websites with more information about slugging: Sluglines.com and Slug-Lines.com. An I-66 slug lines Facebook group is active.