The first part of a $1.1 million reconstruction of three entrances at the U.S. Army Engineer Research and Development Center is set to wrap up by the end of the month, officials said.

The facility’s Halls Ferry Road entrance is being reworked into a covered checkpoint supported by eight columns for security personnel. No exact date has been set for its reopening, spokeswoman Patrice E. Creel said Wednesday.

Once the main entrance is done, the gate off Bazinsky Road, about 100 yards south of the intersection with Wisconsin Avenue, will close to install a similar shelter. That phase is expected done by July 21, according to engineers with the Mobile District who are overseeing the project. Shortly thereafter, a third protective structure will be built over the existing gate at ERDC’s Information Technology Laboratory off Porters Chapel Road. No date of completion is set there, pending a water line being moved. A new IT lab is also in the works, though no specifics were provided Wednesday in response to questions about it and the entrances.

Anti-terrorism funds are financing the construction of the new covered entrances, ERDC has said. All three roofs are anchored to withstand high winds.

Each shelter will blend in with surrounding buildings at the center.

“Gate one will have its steel columns encased with masonry to match building 1000. Both gate one and gate six will have a brown metal roof. The ITL gate will have a green roof to match the existing roof on building 8000,” said Stacy Turner, a resident engineer with the Mobile District.

The expected improvements at ERDC’s Bazinsky entrance have been cited as a reason for the city’s push to connect Wisconsin Avenue with North Frontage Road. Earlier this week, the Mississippi Development Authority OK’d a $1.31 million loan to the city that would pay for the connection.