Solutions sought for traffic congestion at Cherry Point

HAVELOCK — More than 82 percent of Cherry Point air station’s workers drive to work alone, according to results of a travel questionnaire designed to solicit suggestions on how to reduce motor vehicle congestion at the facility.

According to Allison Fluitt, of Kimley-Horn and Associates, some 800 surveys were completed and returned by military personnel and workers from Fleet Readiness Center East about their daily commutes.

Fluitt’s company was asked to gather the statistics for a Cherry Point Transportation Demand Management Plan for the Military Growth Task Force.

The results were presented and debated at a question-and-answer session held Sept. 1 in Havelock.

“What’s driving this is the movement of 80,000 people to Eastern North Carolina,” said Mark Sutherland, executive director of the task force.

Sutherland said the number of crashes and fatalities on crowded roadways would increase with added military personnel coming to the area.

“What we want to arrive at are things that we can do quick and things we can do without infrastructure and things that are sustainable,” Sutherland said.

Fluitt said that the aim is to make the commute a better experience by making the best use of existing roads, thus reducing congestion, car maintenance costs and energy consumption.

Fluitt said that while nearly 25 percent of Cherry Point workers live within a half mile of the base, about 61 percent live six to 29 miles away.

Some 82 to 89 percent of workers entering or leaving Cherry Point’s main gate, Slocum gate or Cunningham gate drive alone. Nearly 88 percent of those respondents said they never carpool to and from work. Only 40 percent said they would consider carpooling.

There were several complaints about long lines that occasionally occur during rush-hour mornings near both the Slocum and main gates.

“I live two miles from the base. It shouldn’t take me 25 minutes to get to work,” said FRC East worker Ancil Jones.

John Gumbel, of Boeing, a former commander at the depot, said the area really didn’t have a bad traffic problem.

“I spent 9½ years in Washington, D.C. I know what traffic is. We don’t have traffic,” Gumbel said. “What are the issues that we are trying to solve? If it’s mishaps, then I think we should do that.”

Safety has been an issue at the Slocum gate, where numerous crashes have occurred. A recent crash during rush hour tied up traffic in the city for more than an hour and backed up traffic on U.S. 70 all the way to Carolina Pines.

A flyover interchange has been proposed for the intersection, but the group’s concerns are more immediate than a project that has yet to receive funding.

“We’re not fixated on just the flyover,” said Mike Rutkowski, of Kimley-Horn. “We’re looking at at least 10 years before that comes here. That’s probably a $19 to $20 million project.”

The emphasis should be on changing driver habits, without dependence on large infrastructural solutions, Rutkowski said.

Alternatives such as walking and biking to the base are impractical because of security concerns, said Danny Walsh, a Havelock commissioner. And there is no public transportation alternative currently available.

The authors of the transportation plan will be gathering more comments from workers to get more ideas about how to improve the commute.