Southeast D.C. Faces Major Gridlock as Thousands of Federal Workers Return to Navy Yard Offices

Commuters in Southeast D.C. faced heavy traffic this morning as federal employees returned to Washington Navy Yard offices. This was due to President Donald Trump's executive order requiring federal agencies to end remote work and have employees back in person by Friday last week, as reported by WUSA9.

The influx of about 17,000 Department of Defense employees more than doubled the usual traffic volume, and parking was insufficient for the 8,000 to 10,000 vehicles competing for just under 4,500 parking spaces. NBC Washington reported that officials had coordinated with local government to manage the crowd.

The search for parking began early, with vehicles backed up as early as 5 a.m., according to WUSA9. Navy Yard opened additional gates and increased staffing to help employees enter. A car fire on the 11th Street Bridge temporarily shut down eastbound lanes of I-695, but the fire was quickly extinguished, and the lanes reopened.

Locals expressed mixed feelings as office spaces came back to life. "It’s a bit mixed…it’s like on the one hand you’ll have a lot more people able to talk to each other on an in-person basis, but on the other hand, you know a lot more heads in the office. It’s probably going to be  lot harder to just get around," said Henry, a Navy Yard employee, in a statement obtained by FOX 5.

Officials have encouraged the use of public transportation, such as the Metro, which had its highest Monday rush hour ridership since 2020, NBC Washington reported.

Additionally, the day marked the extended deadline for federal employees to decide on Trump's resignation buyout offer. The original deadline was Thursday last week but was postponed by a federal judge, according to WUSA9. The legality of the deferred offer would be reviewed in court later that day.