Gate improvements increase safety, traffic flow

  • Published
  • By Airman 1st Class William O'Brien
  • 95th Air Base Wing Public Affairs
EDWARDS AIR FORCE BASE, Calif. --  Editor's note: This article is the second in a two-part series highlighting the current gate construction effort.

For more than just base residents, the current improvements being made to the base's entry control points will help to keep the security personnel manning them safe too.

Not enough consideration is given to the people who work at the guard shacks by drivers who speed through those gates," said Brian Sponsler, 95th Civil Engineering and Transportation Directorate engineer. "The risk that puts those guards at is very real."

To solve this issue, the new road will have an increased curvature to its design eliminating the option for drivers to travel at higher rates of speed.

"The balance between making the road drivable for the safe driver but at the same time making it restrictive enough to stop a driver trying to defeat the barrier system required a careful design for that piece of road," said Mr. Sponsler. "More design energy was put into that section of road than any other on base."

Each entry point will also receive new lighting systems.

"With the current lighting, there are spots that are extremely bright and some with little or no illumination," said Mr. Sponsler. "This lighting will be more evenly distributed and keep the whole area well lit."

During the overhaul, a parking lot will be added outside the base boundaries for personnel who need to stop at the guard shack to receive clearance for entry.

"If a driver forgets their CAC or needs to go into the guard facility, they park inside the base boundary; granting them unauthorized entry," said William Papotta, engineer for the 95th CE. "The construction effort will move those parking lots outside of the entry control point."

The $2.2 million effort started in January, with work currently being done on both the North and South Gates are projected to be completed by late September.

The goal of the gate is to protect the base from the threat of attack while maintaining the capability to allow personnel smooth admittance onto the installation.

"I'm jazzed about all these upgrades," said Brian Sponsler, 95th Civil Engineering and Transportation Directorate engineer. "The effort will make the gates safer all around, for both the driver's and the guards."