RANDOLPH AIR FORCE BASE, Texas –
Team Randolph members who enter and leave the base through the south gate will have to use one of the gates on the north side of the base for a period of about two months starting Nov. 23.
A project to reconstruct the south gate entry road will restrict inbound traffic to commercial vehicles only during the estimated 60-day construction period. No outbound traffic will be allowed through the south gate.
"We will be shutting down the south gate to POV (privately owned vehicle) traffic so that the entry road from Lower Seguin Road to West Perimeter Road can be reconstructed from sub-grade to wearing course," said Peggy Hill, 12th Civil Engineer Division project manager. "We'll be giving the contractor 60 days to complete the project, which allows for rain delays."
The estimated $420,000 project, part of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, is expected to improve entry to the south side of the base by expanding the road from two to three lanes - one for inbound commercial vehicles, one for inbound POV traffic and one for all outbound traffic. Presently, outbound traffic is not allowed between 6 and 8:30 a.m. on weekdays so incoming motorists can use the outbound lane, bypassing the commercial vehicle checkpoint.
Once the road is rebuilt, it will also better handle the load of heavy commercial vehicles. A 270-day project to upgrade West Perimeter Road from the south gate entry road to the west gate, a distance of more than three miles, will accomplish the same purpose. That project also begins Nov. 23.
"These are not load-bearing roads," said Mance Clark, 12th Security Forces Squadron antiterrorism officer. "Lower Seguin Road can carry that kind of traffic, so we are aligning our entryway to support a high commercial volume. This is much-needed construction."
He said the volume of commercial traffic at Randolph is heavy now because of a variety of construction projects on base - from the new base exchange and Air Force Personnel Center Civilian Personnel Office to two major flight line overhauls.
Because of the shutdown of POV traffic at the south gate, the 12th SFS will beef up the number of personnel checking IDs at the main and west gates between 6 and 8 a.m. weekdays, Mr. Clark said.
"Traffic will increase at the other gates, so we will increase manpower at those gates to accommodate the greater amount of traffic," he said.
Tom Moore, another civil engineer, estimated that 40 percent of base traffic enters through the south gate.
"Most of that is POV traffic," he said.
In addition, the east gate will be open from 6-8:30 a.m. inbound only and from 3-5:30 p.m. weekdays outbound only for the duration of the south gate project. However, departing motorists will be required to turn right only on FM 78 - in the direction of Schertz - because of the lack of a traffic light at the east gate's intersection with FM 78.
Mr. Clark advises Team Randolph members coming into the base to enter through the gate closest to their workplace so traffic will be better dispersed.
"This will require a change in attitude and advance planning," he said. "Use your gate of entry based on where you're working."
Mr. Clark said motorists who drive east on Interstate 10 to come to work should avoid Loop 1604 and instead exit I-10 at FM 1516 or FM 1518.
He said another recommendation is for supervisors to stagger work schedules to allow personnel to enter the base at times other than 7:30 a.m.
Mr. Clark said he believes the timing of the project is good because the amount of traffic should decline between Thanksgiving and New Year's Day.
"This is the best time to do this because a lot of people take leave during the holiday season," he said.