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JBSA News
NEWS | Jan. 11, 2010

West Perimeter Road reconstruction under way; traffic slowdowns likely

By Robert Goetz 12th Flying Training Wing Public Affairs

Another road construction project will soon result in some traffic slowdowns on the west side of the base.

An estimated $2.4 million project to reconstruct West Perimeter Road - a distance of about 3.1 miles from the south gate to the west gate - began this week. Civil engineers from the 12th Mission Support Group said the roadway will remain open during the projected 270-day construction period, but there will be lane closures, so motorists may have to stop and wait their turn to proceed.

"The contractor will have flagmen during the day (7:30 a.m. to 4 p.m.) and there will be trailers with motion-sensor lights during the overnight hours," said Peggy Hill, 12th Civil Engineer Division project manager. "The motion-sensitive lights will give a green light to motorists when it's safe to proceed."

Ms. Hill said the project is beginning at the south gate entry road, then will move to the north end of the base before concluding in the middle section of the roadway, close to the Randolph Independent School District complex on the far west side of Randolph. Work will be accomplished in four phases and is expected to conclude in the fall.

She said the project involves the reconstruction of West Perimeter Road to sustain heavy commercial vehicle traffic. The road will be expanded from two 9-foot lanes to two 12-foot lanes and 1-foot flush concrete curbs will be added. Part of the road - a one-mile stretch parallel to Loop 1604 - will be relocated 80 feet east because of the Texas Department of Transportation's plan to widen the loop in that area. In the future, commercial vehicles will access Randolph via a planned gate off Loop 1604 rather than the south gate.

Tom Moore, another 12th CE Division civil engineer, said the project will address the deteriorating condition of a road that wasn't designed for commercial traffic although it is now commercial vehicles' primary route through Randolph.

"About 98 percent of commercial traffic is routed through there," he said. "We also don't want them to cross the taxiway. This will direct commercial vehicles away from the runway."

Other major users of West Perimeter Road are motorists who travel to the Randolph ISD complex and contractors who use the storage area on the southwest side of the base.

Mr. Moore said the project will have no initial impact on traffic because the south gate is closed while the entry road is being rebuilt. However, once the south gate is open to traffic Feb. 1 - though the entry road reconstruction will continue - motorists who travel on West Perimeter Road may have to stop and wait while they are directed to proceed down the one open lane.

"But traffic at the south gate will be inbound only in the morning, so it may be more of a burden going out in the afternoon," he said. "You should give yourself an additional 15 minutes."