Buckley begins new construction projects

Published June 21, 2017
By Airman Jacob Deatherage
460th Space Wing Public Affairs

BUCKLEY AIR FORCE BASE, Colo. -- Contractors have recently broke ground on several construction projects on Buckley Air Force Base, Colo., to ensure the wing’s priorities of Installation Readiness and the safety of Airmen and Families are met.

The 6th Avenue Gate is undergoing the first phase of road realignment construction to provide better traffic flow after the ID checkpoint and address anti-terrorism force protection concerns.

The reconstruction includes getting rid of speed bumps and concrete barriers while creating “calming curves” east of the ID checkpoint which limits vehicles’ speed to no more than 20 mph, giving the security guard enough time to hit the barrier switch if someone tries to run the gate.

“We are here because of Buckley’s mission, and it would be foolish to think that our adversaries or hostile nation states wouldn’t want us to do that mission,” said Michael Bock, 460th Civil Engineer Squadron engineering flight chief. “You have to be able to control access to our installation, and it’s estimated that 60-75% of ATFP issues at the 6th Ave Gate will go away after the first phase.”

While helping resolve the main safety concern for the Buckley community, the upgraded infrastructure is planned to help decrease the queuing of vehicles in both the inbound and outbound lanes.

“When Buckley was built, it wasn’t rated for the traffic flow that we have now,” said Staff Sgt. Whitney Johnson, 460th CES engineering technician. “And our threat levels have changed so we have to make sure we’re incorporating the correct ATFP standards.”

Contractors, with the help of enlisted and civilian personnel from the 460th CES, are working to complete the first phase of construction by October, 2017.

The Mississippi Gate entrance is undergoing a mill and overlay restoration to fix the pot holes and create a smoother surface for vehicles. The pavement milling begins at E. Mississippi Avenue and ends at the vehicle barriers on Aspen Street. The project is expected to be finished at the end of July.

Road realignment is happening on W. Breckenridge Street from Telluride Street to the entrance of base housing. The road’s base and sub-base will be replaced and the curve will be straightened. A pedestrian crosswalk will also be installed with crossing lights generated from two solar panels. The projected completion time is late August.

In addition to the construction, resources have been allocated to complete the maintenance on the water at “Fam Camp”, the base campground, to ensure that it is operational.

“What we’re trying to do is build a better base than what we have now,” said Bock. “We’re trying to improve the infrastructure of the base, and those improvements don’t come without pain. The goal is to make Buckley a safer place to be.”