Traffic along Chamberlain Avenue is reduced to two lanes during construction to accommodate increased vehicular volume in the area. Motorists slowly make their way through the detour at Chamberlain Avenue and Rice Road. Expect changing detours and de...
FORT GORDON, Ga. (Dec. 18, 2015) - Drivers entering McKenna Gate earlier this week experienced long delays traveling along Chamberlain Avenue. Major roadwork began on a portion of the roadway Monday and will last several months.
Thomas Fitzpatrick, Directorate of Plans, Training, Mobilization and Security director, said the construction is part of a series of projects "aimed at improving the (traffic) on the north-south and east-west primary roads to better accommodate growth and mission requirements."
"As we start preparing for the transformation of Fort Gordon, our road networks will also require transformation in order to accommodate the influx of service members, families, and Department of Defense employees," said Col. Samuel G. Anderson, Fort Gordon garrison commander. "The first step of that road network transformation is the diversion of traffic from Chamberlain Avenue vicinity of the Cyber Center of Excellence Headquarters, a project that is expected to take approximately eight months."
The southern sector of Chamberlain
Avenue from East Hospital Road to Rice Road is closed. Inbound and outbound traffic from East Hospital Road to Rice Road is currently being directed to the northern sector, decreasing the number of lanes down to one a piece.
A section of Kilbourne Street -- from 33rd Street to Chamberlain Avenue -- is also closed. Drivers can no longer use Kilbourne Street to merge onto Chamberlain. Those parked on the backside of Darling Hall must now use Rice Road to access Chamberlain Avenue. The parking lot on Kilbourne Street, adjacent to the POW-MIA memorial, is being used as a staging ground for the construction company.
The ultimate installation traffic flow east-west will use 8th Avenue, Lane Avenue and North Range Road.
"One of the routes feeding Lane Avenue from the east will use the Chamberlain Avenue / Kilbourne intersection, and subsequently the expanded Kilbourne Avenue, once the ongoing construction expands the road to handle the traffic volume," Fitzpatrick explained.
With the east-west traffic main corridor being Chamberlain Avenue, and one of the major northwest corridors being Kilbourne Street, Fort Gordon officials are well aware of ensuing inconveniences.
"It's going to be tough, but it's the cost of growth, and it's the cost of improvement," said William Barnello Jr., chief of Plans and Operations Division, DPTMS.
Acknowledging commute options are limited, Barnello suggests that drivers try alternate routes, gain entry through a different gate, and allow additional time to travel to help ease traffic congestion. And completely avoiding McKenna Gate may not be the best solution for all.
Barnello recommends that anyone entering the installation who plans to go to the hospital should enter through McKenna Gate, because they can turn right onto 7th Avenue a short distance after the gate. Those who live on the installation may want to consider doing the same.
"If you're coming through Gate 5 or Gate 2, or you live in a housing area, and you're trying to get to the hospital, it may be smarter for you to come through (McKenna Gate), because you can turn to the hospital before you get to the construction," Barnello said. "It's farther, but it's a lot quicker."
People who normally enter Fort Gordon by way of McKenna Gate to shop at the Commissary, Exchange or use other amenities should consider rerouting to Gate 2 or Gate 5. In doing so, it will help lessen congestion stemming from roadwork on Chamberlain Avenue.
"A good part of this will be resolved on its own by people making adjustments," Barnello said.
For most drivers, an easier commute will be a matter of trial and error. Through it all, officials are asking one main thing from everyone.
"We request patience from the community as we work to revamp our road infrastructure leading up to the establishment of a new main access control point," Anderson said.
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