JOINT BASE SAN ANTONIO-FORT SAM HOUSTON, Texas –
Students attending Joint Base San Antonio-Fort Sam Houston training schools will now find it safer to get a ride, thanks to a new ShareRide location which opened April 13 outside the Binz-Engleman Entry Control Point.
“We had a dangerous situation at JBSA-Fort Sam Houston,” said Col. David Raugh, commander, 502nd Force Support Group. “We had Soldiers, Sailors, Airmen and Marines taking a dangerous route in order to utilize various rideshare services, taxis and getting picked up by friends. That concerned us.”
Previously, people had to walk along a narrow sidewalk on a bridge across Salado Creek on Binz-Engleman Road to get to and from the area designated for pickups. This could prove difficult for those carrying suitcases and backpacks, as it was a lengthy walk. In addition, the area was not lit at night.
“We finally came up with a concept called the Fort Sam Houston ShareRide location,” Raugh continued. “We got input from our mission partners and security forces, and then the 502nd Civil Engineer Squadron stepped up and put the concept into action. They built a very professional-looking location, complete with a turnaround road just outside the entrance to the Binz-Engleman ECP.
“The 502nd CES was able to use recycled supplies and material on hand to put this together incredibly fast,” Raugh said. “This is something that would typically take 18 months to plans and construct and they put it up in a couple of weeks. My hat is off to Kelly Kane and the CE people that came up with this great idea to keep our people safe. They really knocked it out of the park.”
The new area is on a concrete slab with translucent coverings, benches and a trash receptacle. A new blacktop road was constructed where drivers can safely and easily pull off the main road, go down an incline to a turnaround and then back up to the pickup area. The new area is also well lit and within sight of security forces at the ECP.
“It’s a lot less for them to walk and in a much better location,” Raugh added. “This is going to be much more convenient for our people and keep them safer.”