Navy Yard braces for traffic as nearly 17,000 feds go back to office

"Expect heavy traffic, delays, and limited parking," the Navy told its D.C. employees ahead of today, per a message viewed by Axios.

• There are 16,800 personnel and 10,000 vehicles expected to return to the 63-acre Navy Yard complex. But only 4,473 parking spaces, the message says.
• "Use public transit or carpool. Parking rules will be strictly enforced."
• The community is taking note; one area school is warning families about commuting delays.

Meanwhile, it's unclear yet when the Pentagon (aka the world's second-largest office building) will go back five days a week. "We will provide status updates as we are able," a defense official told Axios.

• Trump's executive order on Jan. 20 called for employees to return to full-time in-person work within roughly 30 days.

What we're watching: The possible return of pre-pandemic transit traditions.

• "Slugging," a decades-old hack favored by feds, is poised for a comeback. Under the symbiotic carpool system, solo drivers pick up strangers in need of a ride so they can use high-occupancy toll lanes to/from D.C. offices and the Pentagon.