New Fort Meade gate to open Monday
Fort George G. Meade will open its Rockenbach Gate on Monday.
The gate, which is located off of Md. 175, will operate from 5:30 a.m. to 9 p.m. Monday through Friday. It will be primarily used for residents on the west side of the military installation, according to a press release from the Fort Meade garrison.
Those wishing to use Rockenbach will need a Department of Defense identification card. All visitors will still be required to go the visitor’s center on Reece Road.
The gate will have two entrance lanes, in addition to state-of-theart security measures to help
Meade community members enter and leave “efficiently and safely,” according to the release.
The gate will still get some final touches despite the opening. Striping will be done over the next week to two weeks.
With Rockenbach opening, the gate at Reece Road will reduce its hours to 6 a.m. to 1 p.m., starting Monday.
A week late, the gate will close as part of a $30 million renovation project, which is expected to last into 2024. Visitors will still get their passes at the visitor center during business hours.
The Rockenbach project cost approximately $12.4 million, according to the release. By opening the gate, it should help alleviate traffic on MD 175, Lt. Col. Allen Floyd, deputy garrison commander for transformation, said in the release.
“It has been a long wait but the final product is a well-constructed and secure access control point that will serve the Fort Meade community well,” Floyd said in the release.
“As one of the last projects I will see completed during my time at Fort Meade, I’m proud to see it open.”
Rockenbach’s opening and the new construction will not affect the gates on Mapes Road. The Mapes Road and MD 175 gate will remain the installation’s 24/7 gate.