NORFOLK, Va. — The new workweek is getting off to yet another slow start for drivers in the area of Naval Station Norfolk.
Rush hour traffic again saw huge delays on Interstate 564 westbound and I-64 westbound on Monday morning, as rainy conditions added a new wrinkle to delays already caused by enhanced security measures.
Additionally, one of the Navy base's seven gates -- Gate 5 -- was shut down completely for a time.
In a Facebook post, Naval Station Norfolk reported that the gate had "been secured until further notices. Please use an alternate gate."
The gate eventually reopened around 7:30 a.m., although one inbound lane remained blocked. It was not immediately clear what prompted the gate closing.
Under orders from U.S. Northern Command, the Navy suspended its "Trusted Traveler" program, meaning anybody without a current Department of Defense identification card has been turned away.
It's anyone's guess as to how long the changes will last.
"Sponsoring of guests to the base... that's not going to be possible for the foreseeable future," said Steve Jones, Naval Station Norfolk Community Plans Liaison Officer, in a briefing to Norfolk City Council last week.
Many cars pass through Naval Station Norfolk's seven gates every day. According to Commander Navy Region Mid-Atlantic, Naval Station Norfolk has more than 57,000 military personnel, more than 13,000 civilians, and more than 5,000 contractors.
"There's always a lot of traffic, and the more ships you have in port, the more cars you have," said retired Navy Captain Joe Bouchard, who was commanding officer of Naval Station Norfolk at the time of the USS Cole attack and 9/11.
The added security measures were put into place last week, a few days after the U.S. drone strike killed Iranian General Qassem Soleimani, although the Navy neither confirms or denies there is any connection.