Steve Burns

WASHINGTON — (WMAL) “People spend more time figuring out what they’re going to have for lunch than figuring out what this commute’s going to be like,” Greater Washington Board of Trade President Jim Dinegar lamented. “They’re looking at this as though it’s a small disruption. It’s not.”

If it hasn’t yet, Dinegar said reality needs to set in for commuters that plans alternative plans need to take shape if there’s any hope for mobility around the region for the next year. Metro’s long-awaited major year-long rehabilitation plan known as SafeTrack is set to start this weekend, June 4, with single-tracking on the Orange and Silver Lines from East Falls Church to Ballston.

“It will not be a bump in the road. People need to have a plan to work around this,” Dinegar told WMAL. “Companies have a responsibility to put a plan in place not for their employees, but with their employees. Employees have to take a very active role.”

A lot of riders either don’t fully understand the plan, or if they do, don’t believe it’ll have an impact on them, Dinegar said.

“We’re very concerned that, without a plan, people will be absolutely stunned by how far-reaching these closures and single tracking are,” Dinegar said.

He recommended employers start to think outside the usual box of solutions. “The business community, not just for the employees, but with the employees, needs to be active. Maybe help underwrite some of the costs. Maybe give some flexibility as it relates to time. It’s not a one-size-fits-all.”

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