FORT LEE, Va. (July 17, 2013) -- Long lunchtime and Friday morning waiting lines at the Fort Lee access gates will be a fact of life during the government civilian furlough period.
Post leaders have made it clear that manpower constraints -- in combination with a new DOD rule that prohibits borrowed military manpower from performing gate guard duties during the furlough -- has left them with no other choice than to close or restrict the hours of most installation access points until the end of September.
Currently, Sisisky Gate is the only post access point open 24-7. The Lee Avenue Gate is open from 6-9 a.m. and 4-6 p.m. Monday - Thursday and closed Friday-Sunday. The A Avenue Gate is open from 6-9 a.m. and 3-6 p.m. Monday - Thursday and closed Friday - Sunday. Mahone's Gate hours are 5 a.m. - 9 p.m. daily. The Shop Road Gate is closed, and the Temple Avenue access point on the Ordnance Campus is open from 5 - 8:30 a.m. Monday - Thursday and closed Friday - Sunday. Jackson Circle Gate is open 24-7, but is restricted to housing residents and guests.
The impact of that schedule was evident on Friday, the first of 11 weekly furlough days. Some motorists were stuck in a line of post-bound traffic for close to an hour during the morning commute. That situation, on top of the delays during lunch hours each weekday, is a cause of growing concern and frustration among those who work or reside on Fort Lee.
"Living on post, you almost feel imprisoned," commented Melody Laughlin in a recent post to the Fort Lee Traveller's Facebook page. "It takes so long to get back home, you don't want to leave."
"It used to take maybe two minutes to get to Kenner (Army Health Clinic) from Jackson Circle," wrote Emily Tagle in an earlier post. "Now, it takes almost a half an hour. How are the gates closed and more guards at Sisisky helping? You know, just so my husband could be home for lunch, I will go check IDs at the Jackson Circle Gate for free so those guards could be used at a different gate."
"When we have a horrible accident or an ambulance that can't get to someone in need, I guess we will see how extremely bad (this situation) is," noted John Durousseau.
That comment elicited a response from Regina Marie Amos Mead who wrote, "I figure the more this furlough hurts, the more inclined people will be to vote some of the knuckleheads out of Washington and start electing people who actually give a gosh darn about the Department of Defense."
Maj. David C. Martin, the Fort Lee Provost Marshal, said he understands the frustration among commuters and wants the community to be aware of the rules governing the DOD-imposed furlough that put the post in this current position.
"For example, no overtime is currently authorized," he said. "(Prior to the furlough) that's how our Department of the Army Security Guards were able to maintain the hours required to run our gates.
"Furthermore, we cannot use borrowed military manpower (contrary to several comments posted on Facebook)," Martin said. "We originally had a plan that included the use of BMM, but received a DOD memo on July 2 that prohibits that option. … These factors, along with the fact that we are 20 personnel short of our authorized DASG strength, put us in this current situation. Any reductions in personnel or unforeseen, last minute call-outs due to medical or emergency situations will trigger additional changes."
Martin also addressed Facebook comments relating to the number of guards on duty at Sisisky Gate. Kelly Hill Abbe was among those who observed four or even six DASG's at that location and wondered why two of them couldn't be sent elsewhere to temporarily open a gate and relieve some of the traffic congestion.
"Scheduling the (guards) required to maintain the current hours is a complex orchestration of manpower," Martin said. "You may see 5-6 guards at Sisisky for a very short period as shift transitions occur. We're also rerouting all commercial traffic through Sisisky and two of the guards at that location are dedicated to the inspection of those vehicles while any others on site continue to inspect ID cards for regular traffic."
The access gate situation is being "continuously assessed," according to Martin, and additional refinements will be "a balancing act between available manpower and meeting the needs of the community."
There are a few things post motorists can do to ease traffic congestion and possibly reduce their frustration level during busy gate hours. Carpooling as much as possible to reduce the number of vehicles coming onto post is among the more obvious solutions. Employees can opt to eat on-post during the lunch hour as well. All FMWR and AAFES Food service facilities on the installation are open to employees, students, families and visitors. For the Friday morning commute, consider using the Mahone Avenue gate, which typically sees less traffic than Sisisky.
"Above all, safety should be the No. 1 concern," Martin said. "Careless driving could result in an accident that would further tie up traffic and, worse yet, cause possible injuries or a fatality. Slow down and get here safe. In light of the circumstances, I think that's the best advice I can give."
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