Changes made at Fort Gordon Gate 6 in preparation for opening

FORT GORDON, Ga. (WRDW/WAGT) - There are noticeable changes near the new Gate 6 entrance at Fort Gordon.

The new lights are flashing there in preparation for the new gates to open this weekend.

Gate 6 opens Saturday. It’s on Gordon Highway between Parham and Newmantown Road. When that gate opens, Gates 2 and 3 will close.

Pretty soon, tens of thousands of cars will be flowing through there.

The new traffic light that was blinking on Monday will start to show red and green on Thursday.

And that, we’re told, is the final bow on a package three years in the making.

Arthur Elam has seen a lot change in his 20 years living off Gordon Highway.

“It’s just bad. I mean, even the raccoons are gone. The possums are gone. There ain’t much left,” he said.

He hasn’t been a huge fan of the road work at Gate 6 just outside his house.

“They’ve been playing around with the road. One day they got it paved, next day they put more pavement down,” he said.

But all that work is just about to be done. And all that change means the Georgia Department of Transportation is asking you to pay attention out there.

“So in addition to going from two to four lanes, you’re going to have a traffic signal that’s active where you normally didn’t have one. So the folks need to be very alert there,” said Kyle Collins, DOT spokesman.

The light will be up and running Thursday.

And down the road at the soon-to-be-closed Gate 2 – “You will no longer be able to do what these vehicles are doing right now. You either have to turn left heading towards Augusta, or you’re gonna have to turn right heading toward the new Gate 6.”

Crews will restripe this road Saturday morning. After that, going straight through the intersection won’t be an option.

“And we just ask folks to pay attention, lift your head up, look at the signage, pay attention to the signals, the striping, it’s going to be a lot different in this area later this week,” said Collins.

And GDOT hopes people paying attention to their surroundings will ensure smooth stops, smooth turns, and a smooth transition.

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