FDA Project At White Oak Right on Track

The latest opening came in September -- a "shared-use" building available to all employees. It features a conference center for large meetings, a dozen conference rooms, a consolidated library, a cafeteria, fitness center and credit union.

At the end of March, Dwyer said, the FDA plans to open an engineering and physics lab. Two other office buildings have been scheduled for openings in March 2008 and May 2009.

Also in the works are offices for the FDA commissioner and the agency's office of regulatory affairs, with a construction contract scheduled to be granted at the end of September. Starting in fiscal 2008, the FDA hopes to win congressional support for funding of two more life sciences labs and another office building.

"GSA is building on time and on budget," Dwyer said. "It's as good a GSA team as I have ever worked with."

Shapour Ebadi, a 20-year GSA employee, has been the GSA's project executive since 1994. Dwyer, who has nearly 30 years of experience in construction and facilities management, joined the project as the FDA representative in February.

The two agencies are looking at how to address traffic issues that seem likely to arise as more employees relocate to White Oak in coming months. To help employees who prefer mass transit and to hold down traffic, FDA has started a shuttle service to Metro subway stops and to FDA offices in Rockville, about 10 miles away. The GSA is looking for alternative entrances to the White Oak site in hopes of easing traffic at the primary entrance on New Hampshire Avenue.

After all, White Oak will probably be the FDA's home for several decades. "As best we can," Dwyer said, "we are trying to think for now, and for a minute from now."

Stephen Barr's e-mail address isbarrs@washpost.com.