East Avenue Access Control to Take Effect
Vehicle, pedestrian access limitations expected to alleviate security risks
LIVERMORE, Calif. - Controlled access to Livermore's East Avenue corridor, consisting of the mile-long stretch of road between Vasco and Greenville roads and flanking Sandia and Lawrence Livermore national laboratories, will go into effect on Friday, Aug. 1, the labs announced.
Access to the area, designated as the East Avenue Corridor Property Protection Area in concurrence with the National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA), will be limited to those with an official Sandia, LLNL, contractor, Department of Energy or NNSA badge, or those on an authorized access list. Quick pick-up of access permits will be available at any of the vehicular lanes (kiosks) by those with pre-scheduled appointments with lab staff.
Sandia and LLNL jointly developed the East Avenue access control project. The primary objectives of the plan are to enhance security and safety, provide protection to essential facilities and infrastructure, control personnel access, and eliminate routine truck traffic, said Patricia N. Smith, director of Site Operations for Sandia/California.
Alameda County Supervisor Scott Haggerty, who was instrumental in the county returning control of the street to the DOE, said "I am pleased that the project is finally completed and that the closest neighbors will still have access to their homes. This new security measure should make it safer for the laboratories and the community and I'm glad the county could help make this happen."
David Leary, LLNL's director of Safeguards and Security, said that access control of East Avenue had been discussed among the labs for two decades but became an urgent priority in the wake of the events of Sept. 11.
Features at the new East Avenue corridor include staffed security kiosks at both ends of the street, and a larger "super kiosk" on the west end that will be used to assist unannounced visitors. Embedded pop-up barriers will stop vehicles that attempt to unlawfully advance through the checkpoint area.
Though both labs anticipate a learning curve for employees and others expected to be impacted by the changes, Smith and Leary said East Avenue security personnel would remain flexible, courteous, and accommodating. If necessary, procedures could be adjusted or more resources requested, they said.
Controlled access to the East Avenue corridor will also bring about changes to public bus service to the laboratories. Public buses will drop passengers at the turn-around area at the southeast corner of Vasco Road and East Avenue, where they will transfer to lab shuttle buses. As with any vehicle, passengers will be checked for valid badge or access permit at the kiosk. During morning and afternoon commute hours a shuttle bus will serve points along East Avenue, a service provided for both laboratories.
An interim truck inspection station serving both laboratories is also in place at the east end of East Avenue, near Greenville Road. Delivery truck traffic may enter the labs only from this area. A permanent truck inspection facility is under construction and is expected to become operational in October.
LLNL Protective Force officers will operate the truck inspection station and Sandia security officers will staff the control point kiosks at each end of the East Avenue corridor.
Sandia is a multiprogram laboratory operated by Sandia Corporation, a Lockheed Martin company, for the U.S. Department of Energy. With main facilities in Albuquerque, N.M., and Livermore, Calif., Sandia has major R&D responsibilities in national security, energy and environmental technologies, and economic competitiveness.
Founded in 1952, Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory is a national security laboratory, with a mission to ensure national security and apply science and technology to the important issues of our time. Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory is managed by the University of California for the U.S. Department of Energy’s National Nuclear Security Administration.
Laboratory news releases and photos are also available electronically on the World Wide Web of the Internet at URL http://www.llnl.gov/PAO and on UC Newswire. ="http:>
