Savannah River Site Renovates Old Guardhouse, Vehicle Access Gate

Chuck Filbin, Centerra-SRS project engineer administrator, and Clarissa (Crissy) Kuhl, U.S. Department of Energy-Savannah River (DOE-SR) Office of Programs and Project Management federal project director, cut a ribbon to open a new guardhouse at the Savannah River Site. Pictured from left are Noah Boyd, security police officer; Mike Budney, DOE-SR manager; Greg Briatico, Savannah River Nuclear Solutions Site Security Maintenance Section manager; Filbin; Kuhl; Mark Bolton, Centerra-SRS general manager; Capt. Ray Melton, Perimeter Protection Department, Centerra-SRS; Maj. Charles Shoup, Perimeter Protection Department, Centerra-SRS; and David Willis Jr., security police officer.

AIKEN, S.C. - The Savannah River Site (SRS) recently completed construction of a much-needed renovation of a key access control gate at the 310-square-mile nuclear facility.

Dedicated to maintaining the highest possible safety and security standards, SRS is a key U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) and National Nuclear Security Administration industrial complex responsible for national security and nonproliferation missions, disposition of nuclear materials, waste management, and environmental cleanup and stewardship.

Barricade 9, a vehicle access gate located near the site's main badge office, closed in December 2022 for construction of a new guardhouse and covered canopy. The new facility formally opened with a ribbon-cutting ceremony earlier this month. It was accessible to site traffic afterward.

"The barricades and the security police officers who staff them are the first line of defense for the safety and security of SRS," said Ron Bartholomew, director of the DOE-Savannah River Office of Safeguards, Security and Emergency Services. "The renovations will improve traffic safety for the thousands of employees and vendors who enter and exit the site each day and keep the officers safe as well."

A new barricade facility is a significant upgrade over the old guardhouse, at top, which had been in operation for over 25 years at the Savannah River Site. The new barricade, immediately above, is over four times larger than the previous guardhouse and has double the traffic lanes for incoming and exiting vehicles at this access point to the nuclear facility.

The site's perimeter barricades are staffed and operated by Centerra-SRS, the site's protective force services contractor since 1983. Security police officers at barricades restrict site entry to properly badged and authorized individuals, conduct inspections of vehicles to deter the introduction of prohibited items onto the site and check for government property upon exit.

The old guardhouse was built over 25 years ago, and vehicle traffic was limited to single-lane entry and exit traffic patterns. As a result, traffic delays were common during peak hours. The new facility allows for two-lane traffic going in and out of the site, which should minimize delays while enhancing safety and improving efficiency of the access control and vehicle inspection process.

The new guardhouse is a bullet resistant enclosure that is over four times larger than the old facility and provides protection against severe weather, including tornadoes and hurricane force winds. The guardhouse also includes an interior restroom with a dedicated septic system, eliminating the need to refill a tank and drain a septic tank weekly.

"We began planning in 2019 to replace the old guardhouse," said Chuck Filbin, Centerra-SRS project engineer administrator. "The Corps of Engineers (COE) was awarded a contract to create a design package for replacement and we worked with our DOE oversight and the COE on multiple concepts and designs."

Mike Budney, U.S. Department of Energy-Savannah River (DOE-SR) manager, and Ron Bartholomew, DOE-SR director of Safeguards, Security and Emergency Services, take the first drive through the new barricade at the Savannah River Site.

Safety and compliance with environmental management system requirements were at the forefront throughout the design and construction phases of the project, which required close coordination between Centerra, DOE, COE and construction contractors.

"The final phases of the project were recently completed with installation and inspection of lighting, fiber-optic cables, security cameras, and commissioning of the generator, well, and HVAC unit," said Filbin.

After closure of the old Barricade 9 in 2022, an alternate gate was opened for use during the construction project, and that temporary gate has now been closed.

"The reopening of the gate is good news for SRS employees who use that road for access to work locations and visits to the badge office," Bartholomew said. "It also represents a significant facility improvement that will minimize delays while further enhancing safety and security."

-Contributor: Rob Davis