MARINE CORPS BASE CAMP LEJEUNE, N.C. -- For those Marines who wake up early enough to go aboard Marine Corps Base Camp Lejeune before 5 a.m., there might be a slight deviation in the drive to work in the near future.
From 7 p.m. Sept. 23 to 5 a.m. Sept. 26, the base’s main gate will be closed to all thru traffic due to finalization of the new canopy and the main road that runs underneath.
Due to the closure date being a weekend, it is not expected to impact base personnel to a great extent. However, the Piney Green gate will be in full operation during the main gate closure to accommodate the weekend traffic.
“Anytime you disrupt traffic, it’s always an inconvenience, even if it’s one road over the weekend,” said Ensign Jason Spotts, a project engineer with the Officer in Charge of Construction, Marine Corps Installations East. “However, the contractors are doing all they can to push it out, and they will meet their goal and have it done come 5 a.m. that Monday.”
While all main gate traffic is routed through the Piney Green gate, temporary vehicle passes will still be received at the main gate visitor’s center. Additionally, the Marine Corps half-marathon is to be held aboard the base during that weekend, so participants who do not have permanent base access are encouraged to receive their temporary passes at the main gate ahead of time to avoid confusion.
This closure heralds the final points of construction to the new main gate canopy and visitor’s center. While the actual canopy is complete and the visitor’s center is nearing finalization, a few integral finishes will be concluded.
“Most of the remaining seven percent of construction is re-paving the main road as well as the visitor’s center area,” said Spotts. “Also there is the installation and testing of the active vehicle barrier systems and the radar sensor system.”
In the evening of the 23 to the early morning of the 26, be prepared to utilize other entrance gates if weekend business is to be conducted aboard MCB Camp Lejeune. Otherwise, expect to no longer use the “serpentine” come Monday morning.