Gate 2 closes without major changes

By Wallace McBride, Fort Jackson LeaderJuly 12, 2012

Gate
(Photo Credit: U.S. Army) VIEW ORIGINAL

FORT JACKSON, S.C. -- Gate 2 closed as scheduled Monday morning, displacing traffic to Fort Jackson's other gates shortly before dawn.

Located off Interstate 77 near Forest Drive, Gate 2 is one of the heaviest points of entry for Fort Jackson, but will be closed to all traffic as construction workers take on an 11-week renovation project. The gate is schedule to reopen Sept. 20.

"We had the whole chain of command out there at 5 a.m. ensuring that things went well," said Fred Vasquez, installation physical security officer. "Until we get everything sorted out, we'll be having reviews to see what we can do to make it better for the community."

Additional guards were placed on Gate 1 near Fort Jackson Boulevard to compensate for the closure. Vasquez said the average driver spent 2.5 minutes in that line Monday morning.

"I personally observed traffic and the flow of traffic at the gates, and throughout Fort Jackson," said Col. Michael S. Graese, Fort Jackson garrison commander. "I was very pleased (Directorate of Emergency Services) assets were dispersed doing actual traffic counts and other analysis throughout the week."

Monday morning's study allowed them to make immediate adjustments to the traffic plan, he said.

"For example, due to the bottleneck at Lee Road and Strom Thurmond Boulevard, DPW adjusted the light to flashing red and yellow in order to expedite the flow of traffic," Graese said. "This adjustment also caused vehicles not to cut through the Burger King parking lot."

During the construction period, Gate 4 will be open around the clock, but will accommodate only inbound traffic from 5 to 9 a.m. to help facilitate morning traffic flow.

"The strategy is to place the guards that we had at Gate 2 over at Gate 4, and allow for two-way traffic on Boyden Arbor Road from Percival to Dixie," Vasquez said.

A dedicated traffic control point has been placed on Boyden Arbor and Dixie roads to prevent traffic from stopping at the sign, which causes delay. The road converts to two-way traffic after the first intersection following the guard checkpoint, Vasquez said.

"You can travel in either lane all the way down to Dixie Road. There, it will merge into one lane, but we'll have an officer directing traffic," he said.

Graduation ceremonies and related events boost civilian traffic to Fort Jackson on Wednesdays and Thursdays, but Vasquez said DES does not plan on creating new traffic strategies for those days.

"The graduating classes are relatively small right now," he said. "We might have a problem when we get closer to the Christmas season, but by that time Gate 2 should be up and running."

"DES and the garrison team are continuing evaluations throughout the week and we may make other adjustments to best service the entire Fort Jackson workforce throughout the construction at Gate 2," Graese said. "I do want to thank the entire installation for their patience and courtesy throughout this construction."