MCAS Cherry Point deliveries: a truck driver's guide to the gates

The short version

Marine Corps Air Station Cherry Point is in Havelock, in Craven County, between New Bern and Morehead City. The Main Gate on Roosevelt Boulevard is the 24-hour gate, and Pass and ID sits right beside it. [1][4]

Unlike Camp Lejeune, which sends trucks to its Piney Green Gate, we found no published truck gate or commercial inspection station at Cherry Point. Plan on the Main Gate unless your receiver or Pass and ID tells you otherwise. [1][4][5]

In June 2026, the air station said commercial and large transport vehicles could not enter between 5 and 9 a.m. on weekdays. We found no word on whether that limit has ended, so plan to arrive after 9 a.m. [9]

Bring a REAL ID-compliant license, your vehicle registration and proof of insurance. Cherry Point has enforced REAL ID since May 7, 2025, and named delivery drivers among those most affected. [14][2]

Call Pass and ID at (252) 466-5921 or (252) 466-3066 before you roll. Gates changed several times in 2026, and the base's own website did not load for us. [1][3][11]

Where Cherry Point is and how trucks get there

Military OneSource, the Defense Department's relocation site, puts the air station about 16 miles east of New Bern and about 20 miles west of Morehead City. US 70 is the main approach from New Bern and I-95. [1]

The main entrance is where NC 101 meets Roosevelt Boulevard. The Welcome Center, Building 251, is at the Main Gate. [1]

The US 70 Havelock Bypass, NCDOT project R-1015, fully opened on December 19, 2025. It runs about 10 miles around the southwest side of Havelock, past the Craven-Carteret county line. [18]

NCDOT puts the total cost at $323 million and says the bypass improves freight movement on US 70, a major link from the Morehead City port to Raleigh. NCDOT also calls the corridor the future Interstate 42. [18]

WCTI12 reported a 70 mph speed limit on the bypass and one interchange into Havelock, at Lake Road. Drivers on the bypass skip about 15 traffic signals. [19]

The old route through town is now called US 70 Business, or Main Street, in 2026 base notices. When Slocum Gate closed in July 2026, base officials told eastbound drivers from New Bern to use the bypass. [6][9]

No source we found says which bypass exit is best for each gate. Ask your receiver for directions, or check with Pass and ID. [18][1]

The gates and their normal hours

These hours come from housing and relocation guide sites, not the base itself. One is dated July 2021 and one has no date, so treat them as a starting point and confirm by phone. [4][5]

Main Gate, Roosevelt Boulevard: open 24 hours a day, seven days a week. It is the gate Military OneSource names as the main entrance. [1][4][5]

Slocum Gate, Slocum Road off US 70: inbound only 6 to 7:30 a.m. on weekdays. It is then open 7:30 a.m. to 10 p.m. Monday through Thursday, until 1 a.m. on Fridays, and 6 a.m. to 1 a.m. on weekends. [4][5][8]

Cunningham Gate, Cunningham Road: normally a commuter gate, inbound only 6 to 8:30 a.m. and outbound only 3 to 6 p.m. on weekdays. Catawba Gate is a school-bus gate on school days. [4][5]

Our advice, not a base rule: if you don't have specific instructions, use the Main Gate. It is the one gate every source lists as open around the clock, and Pass and ID is there if your paperwork needs sorting out. [1][4]

The weekday-morning limit on commercial vehicles

On June 26, 2026, WCTI12 reported that Cherry Point was "prohibiting commercial and large transport vehicles" from entering between 5 and 9 a.m. on weekdays. [9]

The same report said those vehicles should use the Main Gate or Cunningham Gate. That wording leaves it unclear whether the limit covered the whole base or only Slocum Gate. [9]

The limit was announced along with the July 2026 Slocum Gate closure. Later reports in August 2026 did not mention it either way, and we could not read the base's own notices. [9][10][11]

Morning rush is when gate lines are worst. The base warned of heavy delays from 6 to 8 a.m. and 3 to 5 p.m. on NC 101 and US 70 Business during the Slocum closure. [9]

So until Pass and ID tells you otherwise, set weekday appointments for after 9 a.m. If a shipper books you for an early drop, call ahead before you accept the time. [9][1]

Gate changes in 2026

From March 6 to about May 1, 2026, Cunningham Gate was limited on weekday mornings to traffic bound for the Mary Lou Road complex. Everyone else was sent to the Main Gate. [6]

In March 2026, the base also said the Trusted Traveler Program "remains suspended." The base told drivers to have every occupant's ID ready and to lower windows before the checkpoint. [7]

Slocum Gate closed on July 6, 2026 for security and infrastructure upgrades. Weather pushed its reopening to Friday, August 7. [9][10]

Starting Monday, August 17, 2026, the Main Gate's outbound lanes closed for four to six weeks. The Main Gate stayed open 24 hours for inbound traffic, and Cunningham Gate opened around the clock to carry outbound traffic. [11][12]

WITN gave the start as August 19, but WCTI12 and Public Radio East both said Monday, August 17. As of October 1, 2026, we found no report that the Main Gate's outbound lanes had reopened. [13][11][12]

If you leave the base and the Main Gate is still inbound only, expect to exit through Cunningham Gate onto local roads. Ask at the gate for the way back to US 70. [11][12]

Pass and ID: where it is and when it's open

Pass and ID is in Building 251 at the Main Gate on Roosevelt Boulevard. Its numbers are (252) 466-5921 and (252) 466-3066. Every source we read agrees on the location and numbers. [1][2][3][5]

Hours don't agree. Military OneSource says Monday through Friday, 6 a.m. to noon. A directory site says 6 a.m. to 6 p.m., and a 2018 guide said Monday through Saturday, 6 a.m. to 6 p.m. [1][3][2]

We go with Military OneSource, the official Defense Department source, so plan to reach Pass and ID by late morning on a weekday. The 2018 guide said that when Pass and ID is closed, Main Gate sentries issue passes. [1][2]

Pass and ID handles visitor passes, contractor and business ID cards, vehicle registration and flight line passes, per a base directory listing. [3]

The base operator is 252-466-2811 if you need to reach a specific unit or receiving office. [1]

ID and paperwork

Since May 7, 2025, Cherry Point has required REAL ID for visitors 18 and older. Accepted credentials include REAL ID licenses or state IDs marked with a star and Defense Department ID cards. [14][15]

Neither news report we read lists a passport as accepted. If your license lacks the star, call Pass and ID before you go rather than assume another ID will work. [14][15]

Fleet Readiness Center East's access guide, dated April 2018, says visitors and contractors give Pass and ID a visit request, a federally compliant photo ID, valid vehicle registration and proof of insurance. [2]

The same guide says contractors working on the station need a 50-state criminal background check, but one-day visitors are excepted. Whether a driver making a single drop counts as a one-day visitor is a question for Pass and ID. [2]

Cherry Point's 2026 access cards are issued through DBIDS, the Defense Biometric Identification System. Back in 2016 the base used RAPIDGate, which could take up to 28 days for a background check. [17][16]

From September 1, 2026, food delivery and rideshare drivers need a DBIDS card to get on base. That rule doesn't name freight drivers, but a carrier with steady Cherry Point runs should ask Pass and ID whether DBIDS makes sense. [17]

No source we found mentions bill of lading checks at the gate. Our advice: keep your bill of lading and delivery appointment handy anyway, since the guard may ask where you're going. [2][1]

Delivering to FRC East and other tenants

Fleet Readiness Center East is Cherry Point's major tenant. It repairs and overhauls aircraft for the Marine Corps, Navy and other services. [1]

FRC East's 2018 guide says a visit there needs its own visit request beyond station access. It must reach the FRC East contact at least three working days ahead. [2]

The same guide says phones, cameras and other electronics need approval before they go into FRC East spaces. Ask your receiver whether that applies at the dock. [2]

We found no published receiving hours, dock locations or appointment process for FRC East or other tenants. Get the receiving contact, building number and gate instructions from your shipper or the receiver before dispatch. [2][1]

We also found no published procedure for hazardous materials or ammunition deliveries. Those loads should come with their own instructions from the shipper and the receiving unit; don't show up and ask at the gate. [2]

Before you roll: a checklist

Call Pass and ID at (252) 466-5921 the day before. Ask which gate to use, whether the 5 to 9 a.m. limit is still in effect, and whether the Main Gate is two-way again. [1][9][11]

Have a REAL ID with the star, your registration and proof of insurance in the cab. If you're going to FRC East, make sure the visit request went in at least three working days ahead. [14][2]

Coming from New Bern or Morehead City, the Havelock Bypass skips the in-town signals. Its one Havelock interchange is at Lake Road; get the route from there from your receiver. [18][19]

Plan for the gate to take time. With Trusted Traveler suspended as of March 2026, the base asked that every occupant have ID ready, and morning and afternoon rush bring the longest lines. [7][9]