Fort Indiantown Gap to open main gate Nov. 1, restricting access to through traffic

Matthew Toth, Lebanon Daily News
·2 min read

Construction of the main access control point at Fort Indiantown Gap has been completed, with officials saying all other entrances will be closed to traffic when it is operational Wednesday, Nov. 1.

The main access control point is located on Fisher Avenue near its intersection with Biddle Drive. Fort Indiantown Gap is consistently among the busiest National Guard training centers in the country, hosting more than 100,000 personnel for training annually.

"Service members and employees will be required to present a Department of Defense Common Access Card or state identification badge to access the installation," officials said in a press release. "Visitors without a CAC or state badge will be required to check in at the new visitor center with a valid form of photo ID."

Construction of the main access control point at Fort Indiantown Gap has been completed, with officials saying all other entrances will be closed to traffic when it operational Wednesday, Nov. 1.
Construction of the main access control point at Fort Indiantown Gap has been completed, with officials saying all other entrances will be closed to traffic when it operational Wednesday, Nov. 1.

The access-control project has been planned for several years, officials said. After Sept. 11, 2001, the United States Department of Defense mandated tighter security at military installations, including access control points.

Since then, construction of access control points at Fort Indiantown Gap has been delayed several times.

“Fort Indiantown Gap is one of the only installations in the Department of Defense without access control points,” retired Col. Lane Marshall, the former garrison commander, said in December 2021 when introducing the project. “These ACPs will bring us in line with other installations and help us keep our people and property safe and secure.”

Construction of the main access control point at Fort Indiantown Gap has been completed, located on Fisher Ave near its intersection with Biddle Drive.
Construction of the main access control point at Fort Indiantown Gap has been completed, located on Fisher Ave near its intersection with Biddle Drive.

In the past, security of personnel and equipment was individually handled by the units and organizations that work there, as well as the Fort Indiantown Gap police department.

East gate construction, which will be a second access-control point, is expected to begin in 2024 and will take about another year to complete. The east gate will be located on Fisher Avenue near Quartermaster Road.

The gates will not affect access to Indiantown Gap National Cemetery, Memorial Lake State Park, Marquette Lake, the Keystone Conference Center or Fort Indiantown Gap’s hunting and fishing areas.

Fort Indiantown Gap encompasses more than 17,000 acres in northern Lebanon and Dauphin counties. It is home to the headquarters of the Pennsylvania Department of Military and Veterans Affairs and the Pennsylvania National Guard as well as numerous other tenant units.

Matthew Toth is a reporter for the Lebanon Daily News. Reach him at mtoth@ldnews.com or on X at @DAMattToth.

WO1 John Stephen Chrin: 'He sacrificed himself for others': Lebanon pilot honored 52 years after death in Vietnam

Walk with a Doc: With strong growth in the last year, Lebanon 'Walk with a Doc' chapter celebrates

This article originally appeared on Lebanon Daily News: Fort Indiantown Gap opens main gate Nov. 1, restricting thru traffic