Hruskocy gate project nearly complete

  • Published
  • By Brandice J. Armstrong
  • Tinker Air Force Base Public Affairs
Tinker Air Force Base and Oklahoma County officials are working together to make the installation and surrounding communities safer. Their latest project, the relocation of the Hruskocy Gate, is expected to be completed by April 2008.
   The project is a two-part effort. Tinker constructed a roadway inside its fence to tie East Drive and the Hruskocy gate, security guard structure and lighting together. Outside the newly constructed gate and to the north, county officials will construct a four-lane street. The road will run parallel to Interstate 40 from the existing Hruskocy gate location and south to the new gate.
   "(The roadway) will eliminate traffic backup along I-40 at Hruskocy gate and allow for queuing of about 400 vehicles through that whole area," said Kim Harris, real property officer with the 72nd Air Base Wing Civil Engineering directorate, who's been involved in the project for the past two years. "It (will also) provide an additional security buffer for our anti-terrorism/force protection."
   Less than an acre was cleared east of Bldg. 3900, which houses the Defense Information Systems Agency, for the project. Construction within Tinker's fence, west of Bldg. 3900 and north of the industrial waste treatment plant, is finished, Ms. Harris said.
Outside the gate, Oklahoma County officials said about 30 acres were cleared. The county-owned land is bordered by I-40 to the north, Douglas Boulevard to the east, Tinker to the south and west.
   Silver Star Construction is scheduled to begin construction on the four-lane roadway in September. Ms. Harris said the project should be complete within six months and the county's cost for the construction is estimated at more than $2 million.
   Brainstorming for the project began in 2002, when Oklahoma County citizens passed a bond issue to enhance the safety of the installation. The bond allowed the county to acquire and clear land near Bldgs. 3001 and 3900.
   "The voters of Oklahoma County have always supported Tinker and this project is the most recent example of that support," said Oklahoma County Commissioner Brent Rinehart. "This is a win-win situation for both the taxpayer and Tinker."