RELATED: Wright-Patt gate to close as part of security upgrade
Gate 19B off National Road draws about 11,000 vehicles on a work day.
Here are some alternatives to get around the shutdown:
- Gate 16B off Kaufman Avenue near the Wright Brothers Memorial. In a rare move, the gate will be open from 6 a.m. to 9 a.m. Monday through Friday for inbound traffic."It's just been open sporadically for many, many years," said Ronald Lee, a chief project manger working on the upgrade.
- Gate 1B off Springfield Street near the National Museum of the U.S. Air Force. Gate 1B will also be the only exit in Area B available for outbound traffic from 6 a.m. to 9 a.m. Monday through Friday.
- Gate 22B at Interstate 675 and Col. Glenn Highway. During morning rush hour, Gate 22B will be for inbound traffic only.
During the closure at Gate 19B, crews will install an overhead canopy, six guard booths and a upgraded barrier system to prevent traffic intruding on the base and protect sentries, said Walter Lee, a design manger at the 88th Air Base Wing Civil Engineer group at Wright-Patterson. Central NICC Joint Venture LLC, of Falls Church., Va., is the prime contractor.
“Essentially, what it’s doing is … preventing vehicles from running the gate,” Lee said.
The base, the largest single-site employer in Ohio with an estimated 27,000 military personnel and civilian employees, has had security incidents involving gates over the past year or so.
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