Russell Gate closure to significantly impact traffic Published May 21, 2010 By Wayne Crenshaw 78 ABW/PA ROBINS AIR FORCE BASE, Ga. -- The Russell Parkway Gate will close for about two months starting May 31. While the closure could impact as many as 10,000 cars per day and significantly increase traffic at other gates, the closure is necessary so needed security improvements can be made to the entrance, said Col. Carl Buhler, 78th Air Base Wing commander. Buhler noted a recent incident at Luke Air Force Base, Ariz., in which two men in a stolen car ran an entry gate and led security forces on a high-speed chase through base housing. The incident ended with Airmen shooting at the vehicle as it sped toward them, killing one suspect and injuring the other. The next closest gate to Russell, the Martin Luther King Gate, is expected to handle much of the traffic impacted by the closure. The MLK gate hours will increase to match the hours of the Russell Parkway Gate. Existing Russell Parkway access to Gator Park will also be permanently closed as a part of the project, but access to the park will remain available through 11th Street. The approximately $700,000 project is funded through the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act.