All Gates Lead to Fort Meade

By Dikeita Eley, DISA Corporate Communications

When it comes to traffic, DISA employees in the NCR might know a thing or two about congestion. So, it’s no wonder that people want to know about the ebb and flow of traffic at the gates that give access to Fort Meade. Here’s what you need to know about the six gates that give access to the installation.

• The main gate is located at Reece Road and Highway 175 and is where those without DoD-issued identification cards must enter. This entrance is open 24 hours a day.
• The Mapes Road and Route 32 gate is open seven days a week from 5 a.m. to 9 p.m. 
• The Mapes Road and Highway 175 gate is only open Monday through Friday from 5 a.m. to 7 p.m..
• The Rockenback Road and Highway 175 gate is open seven days a week from 5 a.m. to 9 p.m.
• The Llewellyn Avenue and Highway 175 gate is only open for special events to which the public is invited.
• There is an additional entrance on Highway 32; however, this entrance is restricted to NSA employees. 

The three gates that see the most traffic are Mapes Road and 175, Reece Road and Highway 175, and Rockenback and Highway 175. On Highway 175, Reece Road is the main visitor gate, and Rockenbach Road is the first entrance for those traveling east from the Baltimore-Washington Parkway (I-295). These three gates are busier at times that are typical for traffic surges – in the mornings as people arrive to work, lunch time, and during evening rush hour.

The south Mapes Road gate, used by those traveling from Highway 32, is the gate that most DISA commuters traveling from the south are likely to use.

“While we obviously anticipate increased traffic at the gates [upon the completion of the BRAC process], the flow of traffic through them is usually smooth now, and we don't expect that to change too much,” said Mary L. Doyle, community relations director for Fort Meade, during a recent interview.

While Doyle does not  foresee huge challenges in this area, she admitted that traffic entering post through the three main gates along Highway 175 could prove problematic.

While no additional access points are intended for the installation, improvements for at least one of the gates as well as the intersections that feed the gates are planned.

“Improvements to the intersections of Highway 175 and Rockenback Road,
Highway 175 and Disney Road, and Highway 175 and Mapes Road have either been funded or partially-funded. We have also received partial funding for improvements to the gate at Rockenback Road,” said Doyle.

Despite the funding, the improvements will not be completed prior to the completion of upcoming BRAC moves.           

“The installation is working closely with federal, state, and local highway authorities to ensure the roads around Fort Meade are given priority as we move closer to the increase in personnel,” said Doyle.

“We are also exploring ways to encourage car and van pools, improvements to mass transit alternatives, and other ways to reduce demand on the roads that are feeding the installation,” she added.