Fort Bliss Monitor

Troop Talk

Improvements at all entry gates to the installation is an ongoing priority and will cause some temporary inconvenience to individuals entering the post. I know all of Team Bliss will appreciate the changes being made and will be patient as this work is being completed.

The Robert E. Lee Gate will be closed for construction for approximately six months. Grading and earthwork commenced mid-October, and the project is on schedule. The contractor has been on site, completed initial surveying, removed the curb and gutter, portions of Robert E. Lee median and asphalt streets, and commenced with other utility work. Preparations are underway to place the floor slab for the new 1,000 square foot visitor center. Additionally, some off-site fabrication work is ongoing to support this project.

We ask that Team Bliss recognize that the temporary loss of this access point will result in a completely new access control point at Robert E. Lee this spring. It will include the new permanent canopy covering the inspection lanes, visitor center with paved parking, traffic control islands and guard houses.

The next access control project to begin will be the creation of similar facilities at the Chaffee Gate entrance. Work at the Chaffee Gate is expected to commence mid-November; however, Chaffee Gate will remain open during construction.

The closure of Robert E. Lee, has caused an increase in traffic at Remagen Gate. As a result, the PMO has worked diligently to improve traffic through Remagen Gate and along Cassidy Road. Initiatives include coordination with the city to increase traffic light cycle time for left turns at the Cassidy and Airport Road intersection, changing the traffic lights from flashing to cycling at Cassidy, Carrington and Chaffee to improve traffic flow through those intersections, and adjusting traffic patterns at Remagen Gate to accommodate changes in traffic flow during PT, morning, lunch and afternoon rush hours.

The PMO recently conducted an analysis of wait times at the gates and found that while wait times have increased at Remagen since the closure of Robert E. Lee, with the traffic flow improvements mentioned above, the average wait time to get through the gate is 2:20 at peak rush hours and significantly less at other times. Surveys will be conducted periodically to assess the wait time and determine if any changes need to be made. Watch The Monitor for future updates.

The survey taken represents the average number of vehicles in line at any one time and the average time it took the vehicles to get through the gate. Samples were taken every five minutes. The period before the start of PT (5:50-6:10 a.m.) and the return from lunch (12:40 a.m.-1:10 p.m.) are clearly peak traffic times with the longest lines and wait times. For example, wait times at Remagen Gate can approach five minutes during this period. On six of the 33 samples taken during those periods, the wait times exceeded five minutes. Temporary force protection measures may increase wait times, but additional personnel will be added at each gate to mitigate this likelihood.

Kudos to DPWL for anticipating a problem and fixing it in advance: When the thermometers averaged 23 degrees below normal this week – with more cold weather on the way – DPWL took immediate measures Tuesday to turn on heat to family housing occupants twoweeks earlier than scheduled. This action represents a two week workload from the scheduled restoration of heat to housing occupants. By contracting additional crews and working overtime until 10 p.m. on a house-to-house basis, the heat was restored to almost 1,000 houses in record time. This figure included the 770 units scheduled for heat restoration Nov. 2 to 15, as well as more than 200 residents who were not at home for their originally scheduled appointments. Additionally, the DPWL purchased a large supply of space heaters for emergency issue in the event heat could not be restored in all units by late Tuesday evening. DPWL will continue with any required follow-up repairs, evaporative cooler shut down and restoration of heat to residents who were not at home.

Answers to Soldier questions from 11th and 108th brigades are pending and research is ongoing. I will have responses to most of those in next week’s column.

Maj. Gen. Michael A. Vane
Fort Bliss Commanding General



www.bliss.army.mil	Published for the Fort Bliss/El Paso, Texas Community	November 4 , 2004

	Troop Talk Improvements at all entry gates to the installation is an ongoing priority and will cause some temporary inconvenience to individuals entering the post. I know all of Team Bliss will appreciate the changes being made and will be patient as this work is being completed. The Robert E. Lee Gate will be closed for construction for approximately six months. Grading and earthwork commenced mid-October, and the project is on schedule. The contractor has been on site, completed initial surveying, removed the curb and gutter, portions of Robert E. Lee median and asphalt streets, and commenced with other utility work. Preparations are underway to place the floor slab for the new 1,000 square foot visitor center. Additionally, some off-site fabrication work is ongoing to support this project. We ask that Team Bliss recognize that the temporary loss of this access point will result in a completely new access control point at Robert E. Lee this spring. It will include the new permanent canopy covering the inspection lanes, visitor center with paved parking, traffic control islands and guard houses. The next access control project to begin will be the creation of similar facilities at the Chaffee Gate entrance. Work at the Chaffee Gate is expected to commence mid-November; however, Chaffee Gate will remain open during construction. The closure of Robert E. Lee, has caused an increase in traffic at Remagen Gate. As a result, the PMO has worked diligently to improve traffic through Remagen Gate and along Cassidy Road. Initiatives include coordination with the city to increase traffic light cycle time for left turns at the Cassidy and Airport Road intersection, changing the traffic lights from flashing to cycling at Cassidy, Carrington and Chaffee to improve traffic flow through those intersections, and adjusting traffic patterns at Remagen Gate to accommodate changes in traffic flow during PT, morning, lunch and afternoon rush hours. The PMO recently conducted an analysis of wait times at the gates and found that while wait times have increased at Remagen since the closure of Robert E. Lee, with the traffic flow improvements mentioned above, the average wait time to get through the gate is 2:20 at peak rush hours and significantly less at other times. Surveys will be conducted periodically to assess the wait time and determine if any changes need to be made. Watch The Monitor for future updates. The survey taken represents the average number of vehicles in line at any one time and the average time it took the vehicles to get through the gate. Samples were taken every five minutes. The period before the start of PT (5:50-6:10 a.m.) and the return from lunch (12:40 a.m.-1:10 p.m.) are clearly peak traffic times with the longest lines and wait times. For example, wait times at Remagen Gate can approach five minutes during this period. On six of the 33 samples taken during those periods, the wait times exceeded five minutes. Temporary force protection measures may increase wait times, but additional personnel will be added at each gate to mitigate this likelihood. Kudos to DPWL for anticipating a problem and fixing it in advance: When the thermometers averaged 23 degrees below normal this week – with more cold weather on the way – DPWL took immediate measures Tuesday to turn on heat to family housing occupants twoweeks earlier than scheduled. This action represents a two week workload from the scheduled restoration of heat to housing occupants. By contracting additional crews and working overtime until 10 p.m. on a house-to-house basis, the heat was restored to almost 1,000 houses in record time. This figure included the 770 units scheduled for heat restoration Nov. 2 to 15, as well as more than 200 residents who were not at home for their originally scheduled appointments. Additionally, the DPWL purchased a large supply of space heaters for emergency issue in the event heat could not be restored in all units by late Tuesday evening. DPWL will continue with any required follow-up repairs, evaporative cooler shut down and restoration of heat to residents who were not at home. Answers to Soldier questions from 11th and 108th brigades are pending and research is ongoing. I will have responses to most of those in next week’s column. Maj. Gen. Michael A. Vane Fort Bliss Commanding General