Kenney Gate to close temporarily Published Oct. 20, 2014 55th Wing Public Affairs OFFUTT AIR FORCE BASE, Neb. -- The Kenney Gate will close for approximately four weeks beginning Oct. 27. The closure will enable the 55th Civil Engineer Squadron to provide some renovations to the gate and allow them to do some prep work for more upgrades in the spring. "We realize this may cause some of our teammates to utilize different routes to and from the installation during this time, so we certainly appreciate their patience," said U.S. Air Force Lt. Col. Ted Breuker, 55th Security Forces Squadron commander. To alleviate some of the inconvenience, the Bellevue Gate will remain open 24/7 during this time. "However, the Bellevue Gate cannot handle as much traffic as the Kenney Gate, so we're encouraging people who want to avoid construction-related delays to consider staggering their arrival times or use the STRATCOM Gate," Breuker said. The $340,000 upgrade to the Kenney Gate, also commonly referred to as the Flag Gate, includes renovations to the current guard house, a new canopy as well as additional guard booths. "Being exposed to the elements slows decision making and reactions, so these upgrades will improve our defender's vigilance and enable them to detect and act on possible threats more quickly," Breuker said. During the four-week closure, 55th CES will reroute the sidewalk, remove portions of the island and lay the foundation for the new guard booths, which along with the canopy will be completed in the spring. "We've been looking at doing these much-needed upgrades for quite some time, but just haven't had the funding until now," said U.S. Air Force Col. Charles Kuhl, 55th Mission Support Group commander. Funding for these upgrades came from Air Combat Command as well as U.S. Strategic Command. "We are grateful to STRATCOM for helping us fund this project for our defenders," Breuker said. "Our defenders play a key role in supporting their global mission and we are proud to be their teammates."