FORT JACKSON, S.C. -- Drivers entering Fort Jackson will soon have to get used to a new method of coming on post, as Fort Jackson prepares to implement the DoD-sponsored Automated Installation Entry Program.
Each of the four gates currently used to access the installation will undergo construction to install devices that allow drivers to swipe their Common Access Card or driver's license, said Lt. Col. Ronald Taylor, director of Emergency Services and provost marshal.
Taylor said that the designs for the updated gates are completed and the project is currently in the funding stage. No timetable has been set for construction to begin, but
Taylor said he hopes the project can begin in August.
It will take two to three months to update each gate, and plans are being worked on in cooperation with the Army Corps of Engineers to alleviate the impact of the construction on traffic.
"We don't want to start construction on Gate 2, which is our main gate, until the peak season of traffic is done on Fort Jackson," Taylor said, adding that Gate 2 is most likely to undergo construction during the holiday season, which traditionally is the period with the least amount of traffic.
Taylor said the main benefit of the new system is the additional security it provides.
"It will be able to tell us who is on Fort Jackson," he said. "It tells us if the driver's license is valid, if there are any open warrants against that individual."
Currently, security guards at the gates check the ID cards of each passenger of a vehicle manually. With the new system, only the driver needs to swipe his or her card.
"The driver is going to be the sole responsible individual for anybody in that vehicle," Taylor said.
The system also provides a safeguard against the use of stolen identification to gain access to Fort Jackson.
"When you swipe an ID card, it's going to show up on a screen," Taylor explained. "The individual who is monitoring that screen will match the (driver's) face to the screen. So you can't just use someone else's ID card."
The system only works for drivers of vehicles registered on Fort Jackson, Taylor said. Visitors will continue to use the visitor lanes at Gates 2 and 4 to sign in.
Taylor said that in addition to providing extra security, the system will also be beneficial to drivers.
"It should be a little faster to come into the gate," he said.
Taylor estimated that about 10 more cars per hour will be processed, based on research conducted at installations that already have the system in place, such as Fort Bragg, N.C., Fort Knox, Ky. and Fort Hood, Texas.
During the construction time, motorists can expect some changes to traffic flow. Gate 5 will close entirely while being remodeled. Gate 6, off Ewell Road, will be opened during that time as a temporary gate. Outbound traffic will be blocked while Gate 4 is under construction.
Taylor said the long-term gains of implementing the system outweigh the short-term inconveniences during construction.
"Be patient. Be understanding," he said. "The intent ... is to provide additional security for persons who reside and work on and visit Fort Jackson."
Susanne.Kappler1@us.army.mil
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