Marines

Lejeune's infrastructure progress, the road ahead

8 Mar 2011 | Lance Cpl. Damany S. Coleman Marine Corps Base Camp Lejeune

With the improvements and construction underway for the new entry road and front gate, the goal of an infrastructure that can accommodate the increase of Marine Corps Base Camp Lejeune personnel may seem distant.

Due to construction and traffic congestion, the daily commute to work has yet to improve and may have worsened in places, some say.

Some base personnel can’t help but to wonder, ‘What’s being done?’ Not to worry, base and Installation Development Division officials are devising a plan to revamp the base’s existing roadways as well.

“There has been a big focus on the new base entry road and the new gate for the base as well as the improvements on Brewster Avenue,” said Emily Sylvester, the deputy director of the Installation Development Division with the base Installation and Environment department. “There is the perception that we’re not focusing on the internal road network and the improvements that need to be made there.”

A plan is currently in place to make significant improvements to the roadwork, including intersection improvements, roadway extensions, lane upgrades, paving and new traffic signals.

Several new roads will be added to the base, including an access road that will branch off of Holcomb Boulevard which will lead to the Marine Corps Community Services behind the gas station, Wendy’s and Marine Federal Credit Union.

There will be an extension on Birch Street as well as a new stop sign  and new signalized intersection at Birch and Gonzalez Boulevard.

On Holcomb Boulevard, there is a scheduled lane addition to the east side of the road, an intersection improvement and new plans for the traffic circle. 

Post Lane, H, I, M, N and O Streets will be repaved and Louis Road, Sneads Ferry Road and Piney Green Road will be widened to accommodate more vehicles and traffic flow.

The Tarawa Terrace housing area will be receiving a hefty amount of roadwork in coming years as well to increase the commuting quality of life for base personnel who occupy them.

“We are focusing on the internal roadwork next,” said Sylvester.  “Construction will start on the roads in fiscal year 2012. We’re doing the best we can. We’re doing (the construction phases) in sequences to try and minimize the impact on the public during construction to the best extent practicable. However, there will be an impact.”