Carlisle gate to have reduced hours beginning July 7

  • Published
  • By Ryan Stark
  • Nucleus staff writer
KIRTLAND AIR FORCE BASE, N.M. --  Kirtland's Carlisle gate will be open on a more limited basis starting July 7.

The gate will be open on weekdays from 6 to 9 a.m. and 3:30 to 5:30 p.m., said Maj. William Smith, commander of the 377th Security Forces Squadron. "Carlisle is our least-busy gate," Smith said.

It has an average of 2,238 entrants per day. By comparison, the Eubank gate -- Kirtland's busiest -- averages 9,251, which is more than four times the volume.

Statistics from the 377th SFS show that 59 percent of all inbound traffic to Kirtland occurs on weekdays between 6 a.m. and 9 a.m. The remaining 41 percent happens from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m.

While there have been some complaints to the possibility of reduced hours, Smith said that the change was necessary given limited resources.

"The closure will save manpower," he said. "Here's a way can compensate and cover all the other gates."

The complaints came primarily from people live off base and use Albuquerque buses to get to work. The bus route on Gibson Boulevard has a stop by the Carlisle gate, but the next-nearest stop is on San Mateo Boulevard, closer to the Truman gate. For many, it adds about a mile on foot to the commute.

The 377th SFS, which handles vetting of those entering the base at all its points of access, is working with Albuquerque transit officials to address those kinds of inconveniences, Smith said. Col. Tom Miller, 377th Air Base Wing commander, has directed the base's civil engineers to work with the security forces to investigate alternatives.