Drivers making their way onto Redstone Arsenal Friday morning are being urged to use Gate 10 as opposed to Gate 9. The move is the latest by arsenal officials to alleviate the traffic congestion resulting from guard furloughs at access points on the installation.
With three gates closed during morning rush hour, Friday saw the greatest amount of congestion during the week even with a large number of Department of Defense civilian workers taking furlough that day. On Tuesday, arsenal officials said they were examining traffic patterns to see if changes to the gate schedule could be made. The suggestion for workers to use Gate 10 was a result of that examination.
"Last Friday we observed that Gate One was operating at capacity, Gate Nine was overwhelmed while Gate 10 was being underutilized," said Col. Bill Marks, Garrison Commander, Redstone Arsenal.
Officials said the switch to Gate 10 would lessen wait times at all available gates and help avoid the possibility of hazards created by traffic jams.
"We urge travelers who are approaching Redstone from the west along I-565 to bypass exit 14 for Gate 9 and instead use exit 17 to access Gate 10," Marks said.
Garrison officials said they will continue to monitor traffic patterns, wait times and comments from drivers as they implement furlough plans.