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.
HURRICANE FLORENCE RECOVERY
NARRATIVE SUMMARY
Marine Corps Air Station Cherry Point marked a noteworthy milestone on the road to recovery from hurricane impact dating back to 2018.
Navy Facilities Command awarded $149 million to Whiting-Turner Contracting Company Aug. 12, as part of the Hurricane Florence Recovery to improve MCAS Cherry Point facilities. The project covers replacement of facilities that were damaged during the 2018 hurricane and will be completed in the next five years.
The construction of these facilities will have a direct impact on the readiness of units aboard the air station as well as those that utilize surrounding training ranges.
The award comprises replacement of facilities that house the station’s Provost Marshal Office, multiple squadron administration offices and the activities responsible for fire and emergency services and motor transportation. The construction will include replacement of the Range Operations Center at an outlying property Bombing Target 11 (BT-11) on Piney Island. Also, the award covers the construction of a new station academic auditorium that will assume the primary mission of supporting large-scale unit readiness and training, which is currently facilitated by the base theater facility.
Hurricane Florence was responsible for $450,000,000 in damage to the air station and its outlying properties. The base theater received massive flood and water intrusion damage. While the theater was renovated and reopened, the damage to the interior and exterior structure; mechanical and electrical systems of the building was too costly to fully repair.
The building which houses the Provost Marshal Office, Marine Wing Headquarters Squadron 2, and Headquarters and Headquarters Squadron offices incurred irreparable damage. The impacts were so extensive that many of the functions and activities that were housed there had to be relocated to other facilities, which include temporary structures.
It is estimated that the first construction project, the facility to replace the PMO and the two squadron headquarters, will be with be completed by the spring of 2023.
Three of the projects, which include the auditorium, a fire station and the range operation center are expected to be accomplished by the fall of 2024.
DAMAGE
- 245 Facilities/Structures
- 128 Temporary roofing.
- 108 Facilities were 'dried out'
- 80% of overhead power distribution was destroyed.
Recovery ($10M)
- Clear and access/temporary roofs/dry out/moves.
- 12 Line crews restored power in 1 week.
Restoration ($289M)
- Multiple large roof and interior packages.
- FY19 - $95M awarded.
- FY20 - $180M awarded.
- FY21 - $14M pending award.
Rebuild ($189M)
- 5 projects were awarded on August 12, 2020:
- PMO/H&HS & MWHS-2 Headquarters Replacement. Estimated completion 3/2023
- Station Academic Facility/Auditorium. Estimated completion 11/2024
- BT-11 Range Operations Center Replacement. Estimated completion 9/2024
- Fire Stations Replacement. Estimated completion 8/2024
- Motor Transportations/Communication Shop Replacement. Estimated completion 8/2025
Destructive Weather Recovery Efforts