Question: I would like to know why after spending all of our taxpayers' money in building that new West Gate we still have traffic backed up on the north exit all the way to I-15. This is a safety hazard. Eventually someone is going to get hurt. Three lanes were put in at the gate however only two were being used this morning. We used to have two guards on each lane and now we only have one. This is not sufficient for the amount of traffic that comes through that gate in the morning. This morning it took me 17 minutes to get through the gate. That's 17 minutes the taxpayers are paying me to sit in my car instead of at my desk. Can't anything be done to alleviate this problem?
Question:
I realize the new West Gate is still under construction but the backed up traffic in the morning is simply not acceptable. I use the southbound ramp; this morning the cars were backed up to the entrance. This is so dangerous. It really upsets me that we would allow this to even occur at all. Now here is the question. There are now three lanes, why were only two lanes used? Why were there six gate personnel two days ago, and the past two days there have only been two personnel? We paid millions to build a new gate and now we can't fund employees to man the gate? Most employees need to be at work at a certain time. The inconsistency of the gate makes it impossible to be punctual. If I leave earlier and the gate is properly manned, then I get to work too early. If I leave at the normal time I risk being late. It takes me 10 minutes to get from my house to the gate, then 20 minutes to get through the gate. Please, before someone gets hurt or fired, fix the gate manning problem. Thanks.
Answer:
Thank you for your concern with regard to the traffic flow at the new West Gate. Team Hill's Traffic Safety Working Group continually evaluates traffic patterns and safety and provides recommendations to senior leaders. Safe daily traffic flow for the approximately 23,000 military and civilian employees is of top concern and constantly monitored. With that, it must be balanced with dwindling manpower and resources in our fiscally constrained environment and deployment requirements may and often do affect our ability to provide desired manpower for peak traffic times. The previous or old West Gate was constructed with less lanes of traffic and balanced against available personnel resources. The new West Gate, while it provides additional lanes may not always meet its full capacity based on circumstances mentioned above. Please know that as the Defense Force Commander, security and safety of our installation is my primary concern and to that end, convenience is often sacrificed as a result. While we continue to dedicate scarce resources to safely and efficiently control base entry during peak times, it's recommended that Team Hill plan their commute for possible delays and use other lower traffic volume gates such as the South West gate.
