Milestones report: SR 444 project update

  • Published
  • By Amy Rollins
  • Skywrighter Staff
WRIGHT-PATTERSON AFB, Ohio --  Traffic patterns at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base have been successfully changed with the Oct. 9 closure of the federal portion of State Route 444 that bisected Area A.

Everything went smoothly, with the 88th Civil Engineer Directorate and 88th Security Forces Squadron immediately installing temporary barriers according to plan, said Fred Tito, a CE design manager and manager of the project.

The new perimeter fence line is up and was completed the afternoon of Oct. 16.  Pavement removal and other activities have been ongoing since the closure.

"We really don't have any unexpected congestion," said Col. Cassie B. Barlow, 88th Air Base Wing commander. "We were definitely expecting new traffic patterns, and we have a roving patrol during rush hour that monitors traffic and moves Security Forces from gate to gate."

Even before the State Route 444 project was under way, the Ohio Department of Transportation (ODOT) had planned to conduct a traffic study of SR 444 and will do so in November after the project is completed, Mr. Tito said. After the new Gate 1A at the back of the base Commissary has opened and traffic patterns have established themselves, ODOT will count cars and see if any signal timing changes are needed.

ODOT is currently making pavement marking and signal timing changes at Dayton-Yellow Springs Road and Kauffman Avenue as well as Central Avenue and Dayton Drive.

The new, prefabricated Gate 1A guard shack is scheduled to be delivered Oct. 24. Utility connections have been made to the shack's concrete pad and the shack will be placed shortly thereafter, Mr. Tito said. The canopy will go up after the shack is placed. Bollards for that gate will be installed at the end of this week.

The former SR 444, soon to be known as Spruce Way, is scheduled to be complete Nov. 2; the new section of Spruce Way will be open to the intersection with Gates 8A and 38A. At that time, due to the increased traffic, the intersection of Chidlaw Road and Spruce Way will be converted to a four-way stop.

The new Gate 1A is still on schedule for opening in mid-November; a ribbon cutting ceremony is tentatively scheduled for Nov. 19.

Mr. Tito continues to ask for the base personnel's and community's patience as the project continues to unfold.