Larger, improved West Gate re-opens

Published Nov. 6, 2007
By Corey Dahl
21st Space Wing Public Affairs

PETERSON AFB, Colo. -- At the West Gate's re-opening ceremony Nov. 5, it was hard to tell who was most excited about the newly remodeled base entrance.

Members of the 21st Security Forces Squadron were keen to see the increased force protection the gate offers.

Visitor's Center employees were happy to have brand-new, larger digs to handle Peterson's roughly 12,000 annual guests.

And just about everybody was cheering the idea of shorter lines and fewer delays thanks to the West Gate's extra lanes.

"This is a big deal," Col. Scott Shepherd, 21st Space Wing vice commander, said at the ceremony. "And it's a big deal for several reasons."

Peterson's West Gate has been closed since the end of July, so crews could work around the clock to complete roughly $10 million-worth of upgrades before winter weather set in. Working under the supervision of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, contractors built a brand-new visitor's center and gate house, added traffic lanes and installed additional security features.

The improvements allow the gate to better handle the roughly 13,000 vehicles that pass through it daily, Colonel Shepherd said. And, as Peterson's main gate, it will relieve the heavy traffic load at both the North and East gates.

"It'll equate to shorter drive times and fewer delays," Colonel Shepherd said. "And I know a lot of people are happy about that."

The happiest people at the ceremony, though, may have been those who spent the last 13 months planning and executing the West Gate project. Dozens of construction and design contractors spent lots of time and effort on the gate renovation, as well as members of the security forces, civil engineering and communications squadrons.

Kevin Lindsey, an area engineer with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, said the completed project illustrates just how much a group of people can get done when they put their minds to it.

"This is a perfect example of a successful project because of the efforts of the team," he said. "We had a common goal, and we were able to pull together and make it happen."

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