Extended Closures
Coming construction requires an extended closure of Sixth Avenue starting Dec. 5, 2021, as work continues toward completing the Flight Line Utility Modernization Project on Marine Corps Air Station Cherry Point.
Closure of Sixth Avenue from its intersection at A Street to C Street and from D Street to the Fifth Avenue extension marks a preliminary phase of construction that is fundamental to the air station’s overall F-35 site activation projects.
The project is expected to have major impacts on travel, parking and access to facilities and the flight line.
The first phase of the closure will block flight line access at Gate 9, requiring personnel to use a temporary access control point at Reindeer Road (Gate 5 next to the flight line Fuel Farm). Access to Gate 9 is expected to be restored within nine months.
Drivers and patrons of facilities along the route are advised, when conducting business in the area, to consider alternative routes and to factor in details such as increased pedestrian activity, longer walking distances from parking areas and detours.
Drivers can use Fifth Avenue as the primary alternative route during the Sixth Avenue’s closure. The street was extended to intersect Sixth Avenue to ease some of the traffic burden the closure is expected to cause.
Since the spring, two parking lots have been constructed including one along 5th Avenue to facilitate the need for parking of tenants and patrons of the facilities in the area.
The construction will continue in phases and is projected to last about 18 months.
[Attached is a graphic depicting the extension of the closure of Sixth Avenue and the suggested alternate route of Fifth Avenue, with Reindeer Road and the new parking lot marked.]
THINGS WE'VE BEEN DOING
March 21, 2022 - F-35 squadrons still on schedule for Cherry Point - News Release
The realization of Cherry Point being home to six F-35 Joint Strike Fighter (JSF), or F-35 Lightning II, squadrons is
nearing as transformation continues to shift away from the legacy AV-8B Harrier to the fifth generation joint strike fighter.
More than $1 billion in military construction projects are underway to enable the air station to support the next
generation fighter aircraft. Military construction (MILCON) projects in progress or planned include three dual-module
hangars, which will house two squadrons each, a training and simulator facility, and various support upgrades along the
airfield that will enable maintenance and training, and security requirements for the F-35. Read More...
October 22, 2021 - Cherry Point hosts second F-35 activation conference - News Release
Wednesday, the F-35 Site Activation Task Force (SATAF) returned for its second semiannual meeting to prepare the air
station to permanently house six Joint Strike Fighter (JSF), or F-35 Lightning II, squadrons.
The conference began with opening comments from U.S. Marine Corps Maj. Clifford Sutcliffe, SATAF officer-in-charge,
who introduced significant personnel and organizations, and provided a comprehensive update of requirements, tasks,
and a long-term timeline of events. Read More...
March 19, 2021 - F-35 activation task force holds first meeting at Cherry Point - News Release
Thursday, the F-35 Site Activation Task Force (SATAF) concluded its first semi-annual meeting in preparation for the
station to become a home base for six Joint Strike Fighter (JSF), or F-35 Lightning II, squadrons.
The three-day session allowed key players and stakeholders from the air station, 2nd Marine Aircraft Wing (MAW),
Marine Aircraft Group (MAG) 14, Lockheed Martin, Pratt and Whitney, Headquarters Marine Corps and the JSF Joint
Program Office to assemble and identify site-specific activation requirements...Read More
Sep 4, 2020 - F-35 Maintenance Hanger Groundbreaking Ceremony - DVIDS Video - DVIDS Images
MCAS Cherry Point along with 2nd Marine Aircraft Wing and Navy Facilities Engineering Command broke ground for the
first of three F-35 aircraft maintenance hangars at MCAS Cherry Point, North Carolina, Sept. 4, 2020. The
groundbreaking ceremony marked the start of fully modernizing the installation, bringing MCAS Cherry Point squadrons
and their support components from the World War II era into the modern day. Supporting the Marines and the extending
their warfighting abilities to maintaining strategic deterrence and discouraging aggression from our enemies foreign and
domestic by bringing the fifth generation F-35 Joint Strike Fighter to the installation.
May 15, 2020 - MCAS Cherry Point: Transformation, modernization underway for F-35 - DVIDS Image
The flight line is documented during the transformation and modernization project at Marine Corps Air Station Cherry
Point, North Carolina, May 15, 2020. The flight line is being prepared for the arrival of the F-35.