Questions and Answers

Closure of Pence Gate

Fort Belvoir, Virginia
Question: 1. Why is Belvoirs Pence Gate closing
Answer: Belvoirs Pence Gate is being closed for six weeks, as part of the Federal Highway
Administration/VDOTs ongoing Route 1 Construction.
Question: 2. Whats happening
Answer: The closure is needed to lower a section of road by four feet to get existing roads
aligned with the planned expansion Its one of the major traffic switches needed to complete
the project
Question: 3. Can the gate remain partially open, perhaps one lane
Answer: The full closure will cut the construction process down from 12 weeks to six. With the
full closure we also hope to mitigate the safety impacts associated with a one lane entry and
exit at Pence Gate that would be immediately adjacent to a five-foot drop on either side
Question: 4. Whats the 24 hour gate
Answer: During this time, Tulley Gate will replace Pence as Belvoirs 24-hour gate.
Question: 5. Whats impact of the closure
Answer: Drivers entering and exiting the installation should expect delays during peak hours
6:30 -9:30/3:30-6:30
Question: 6. Whats being done to mitigate the impact of the closure
Answer: The agencies on Fort Belvoir have been encouraged to have employees adjust arrival
times and alternative gate use for travel to and from work. Individuals traveling to Belvoir for
medical, administrative appointments or shopping need to anticipate delays and plan
accordingly to lessen the impact of the temporary closure.
Question: 7. Whats being done to help facilitate access /egress and impact to the surrounding
community

Answer: The Directorate of Emergency Services (DES), Fort Belvoir Police and Department of
Public Works (DPW) are adding a lane and adjusting Traffic Patterns at Tulley Gate to allow
additional traffic flow to ease congestion and prevent the stacking of vehicles. Fort Belvoir
Civilian and Military Police units will respond during peak hours to hotspots at the gates to
accelerate vehicle entry and egress to keep the traffic from backing-up roadways surrounding
the installation. The traffic light at Tulley Gate will be extended green to allow for more vehicles
to access the gate. Additionally, added security personnel will be posted at all gates to allow
for faster security checks so vehicles dont stack up on surrounding roadways.
Question: 8. Are there any plans to change hours of gate operations
Answer: There are no plans to change hours at any other access control points at this time.
Question: 9. REX Bus Service during the Pence Gate Closure
Answer: To maintain the bus schedule during the Pence Gate Closure, starting at 9 pm on 2
Oct, 2016 and continuing through 9 pm on 10 Nov, 2016, the route distance will be reduced.
The REX bus will enter through Tulley Gate, turn right on Theote Road (to avoid the congestion
at 12th Street intersection), turn left on 16th Street and proceed to Belvoir Road. The bus will
stop at 16th Street and Belvoir Road (near building 1000) and continue to the Fort Belvoir
Community Hospital. The REX bus will not pick-up at the Jackson Loop stop during the Pence
Gate Closure. The REX will reverse the route from the Hospital back to 16th Street and leave via
Tulley Gate. Once Pence Gate reopens the route will resume normal operations from 5:30 am 9
pm, seven days per week. From 9 pm-11 pm the REX bus will use Tulley Gate and the route
from 16th Street to the Fort Belvoir Community Hospital. The Jackson Loop stop will not be
used after 9 pm once Pence Gate reopens.
Question: 10 Whats happening next
Answer: Once completed, the construction will continue along Route 1 and finish at Jeff Todd
Way, current construction on Route 1 near Tulley Gate will continue during Pence Gates
closure. The goal is to have northbound lanes open in November from Telegraph Road to Pence
Gate. Before the completion of Route 1, there will also be another three or four lane switches
between Pence Gate and Mount Vernon Highway.
Route 1 construction is part of VDOTs overall $180 million project to widen 3.5 miles of Route 1
from four lanes to six lanes, between Telegraph Road and Mount Vernon Memorial Highway.
The roads will include left and right turn lanes at intersections and connecting roadways, and a
provision for a multi-use trail, pedestrian sidewalk and on-road bicycle accommodations.
County, transportation and Belvoir officials broke ground on the project in April 2014.
More information can be found about the Route 1 Widening Project and Pence Gate closure
at http://rte1ftbelvoir.com or on Facebook at rte1fortbelvoir, VDOT Facebook, Belvoir Eagle
Newspaper, Eagle online, Belvoir Homepage, Belvoir Facebook, and Twitter."