Gate 5 closure to improve traffic flow Published May 11, 2007 By Amanda Creel 78th ABW/PA Robins AFB, Ga. -- Gate 5, the Martin Luther King Boulevard gate, will be closed for construction May 21 through June 24. During the closure, base personnel and residents will need to use alternate gates for entry and exit. All drivers are encouraged to be patient and expect longer wait times at the gate, said Tech. Sgt. David Bertrand, NCO in charge of physical security for the 78th Security Forces Squadron. He also encouraged units to consider staggering report-to-work times. He suggested employees should leave earlier for work during the closure and vary routes to determine which gate will be the best route during the closure. The gate will be closed as the last installment of the gate canopy project, which has closed other base gates for three months. However, Gate 5 will only be closed for one month. Because the canopy was completed during pre-construction, the engineers were able to close the gate for a smaller amount of time than previous projects, said Shrad Amrit, base architect and project manager. He said the only construction left is the road modification and work on the gate enclosure. "I have been very proud of the base population as we have done previous gate construction," said Terry Landreth, chief of engineering design. "We appreciate the way everyone on base has accommodated the inconvenience. Hopefully this will be the last one we have to do for a while." When the gate reopens, the traffic patterns for those arriving to the base through the gate will differ and further information will be provided to drivers closer to the reopening. When the gate reopens, the entry path will be similar to Gates 1 and 3 where vehicles will enter the gate and make a turn to the south before arriving to the canopy for ID checks. The new design will also add a third inbound lane and is expected to reduce the need to use the shoulder when waiting to enter the gate from Georgia Highway 247. ALTERNATE GATES Alternate gates available to base drivers while Gate 5 is closed: GATE 1 -- The Green Street gate is open Monday through Friday from 5 a.m. to 6 p.m. GATE 3 -- The main gate at Watson Boulevard is open 24 hours a day, seven days a week. GATE 14 -- The Russell Parkway gate is open seven days a week from 5 a.m. to 1 a.m.