[Scan-DC] Navy tunnel project in East Potomac Park in DC

[Alan Henney]

This information came from another reflector; does anyone here on Scan-DC have any further pertinent information about this project?

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Navy tunnel project in East Potomac Park in DC
Date: Wed Jul 27, 2016 6:29 am ((PDT))

Looks like this long-running project, begun in 2004, is finally wrapping up.

http://cpacker.org/parksite/

Note the large building and multiple generator exhaust silencers.  Not quite
what was anticipated in this 2004 Washington Post story
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A13265-2004Nov25.html:

"Defense officials and federal planners say when the Navy is done, a small
equipment shed and mutually agreeable landscaping will leave that part of
East Potomac Park looking better than it did before."


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Re: Navy tunnel project in East Potomac Park in DC
Date: Wed Jul 27, 2016 7:37 am ((PDT))

Google imagery has captured what appears to be the new building in the
process of being erected over the smaller temporary structure:

https://goo.gl/maps/nrjdxfKZ9xJ2


Subject: Navy tunnel project in East Potomac Park in DC

Looks like this long-running project, begun in 2004, is finally wrapping up.

http://cpacker.org/parksite/

Note the large building and multiple generator exhaust silencers.  Not quite
what was anticipated in this 2004 Washington Post story
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A13265-2004Nov25.html:

"Defense officials and federal planners say when the Navy is done, a small
equipment shed and mutually agreeable landscaping will leave that part of
East Potomac Park looking better than it did before."

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Date: Wed Jul 27, 2016 7:29 am ((PDT))

20160428-Ten-Year-Old Secret Site In Nation's Capital Gets Permanent Building
Last modified: April 28, 2016
http://cpacker.org/parksite/

Washington, D.C., March 2015. Within walking distance of the tourist
attractions of the National Mall is a four-acre fenced compound dominated
by hangar-like metal shed. It's easily visible from the grounds of the
Jefferson Memorial. A government project, it has been there since 2004. At
the outset the government made clear that nothing was going to be said
about it. Nobody has asked since, evidently, because no news has been
published about it. All that's known is that the Navy is in charge.

Historically, the Navy has been associated with White House infrastructure.
It runs the White House dining facility, the Navy Mess. Camp David, the
presidential retreat in Maryland, is a Navy installation. During the Cold
War, the Navy built and maintained a network of microwave relay towers in
the hills of Maryland and Pennsylvania that provided communications between
Washington and several secret underground emergency refuges.

Therefore, I've concluded that the purpose of this project is to support
White House activities related to national security. In an earlier article
I speculated, based on the work that was visible at the site up to that
time, that the site was the midpoint of a tunnel being excavated between
the White House and the Pentagon to contain high-bandwidth cable for
real-time monitoring of military operations. It would be hard for such
visible construction activity to be classified, but workers at all levels
of responsibility evidently have been coached to deflect questions about
it. In 2004, the Washington Post reporter was told that the project was a
"utility assessment project." Ten years later, when I had an opportunity to
approach a worker and ask what was going on, he used exactly the same
words, and referred me to his supervisor when I tried to question him
further.

Now, a permanent cinderblock building is nearing completion adjacent to the
big shed. I've been making frequent visits to the site during its
construction to photograph the progress from a nearby railroad embankment
that provides a view over the fence surrounding the compound. An engineer
who reviewed the photos below suggested that the building contains diesel
generators for providing backup electric power.

The nearly completed building (a) appears to consist of six identical
functional units, presumably diesel generators. Each unit has two gray
ventilator fans and a black duct. During construction, six tanks (c) were
seen awaiting installation; these evidently are silencers for the
generators. Later, exhaust pipes were being prepared (e). Later still, 12
fans (f) were standing by, perhaps for cooling and/or air intake.

At an early stage, subterranean passages (g) behind the future building
were covered by a re-extension of the big shed (h). A month later, three
large tanks (i), possibly for fuel, were delivered. Note that the tank has
six outlets.