A state highway that crosses through Fort Stewart’s training area will close for a field artillery exercise beginning Monday night and ending Tuesday morning. The installation’s air space will also be closed.

Georgia Highway 119 will be closed for 45 minute intervals and then reopen for 30 minutes up to five or six times between 11 p.m. Monday and 4 a.m. Tuesday  so the 1st Battalion, 41st Field Artillery Regiment can fire rocket-assisted projectiles from the west side of Fort Stewart’s training area into the Artillery Impact Area at the installation’s center.

The Department of Defense requires the area underneath the trajectory of this type of artillery round be clear of personnel and traffic when fired during training. Rocket-assisted projectiles fire over distances of roughly 20 miles.

The field artillery regiment is assigned to the 1st Heavy Brigade Combat Team, Third Infantry Division.

Fort Stewart personnel will man road blocks at Fort Stewart’s northern perimeter of highway 119 in Pembroke and the intersection of 119 and 144 during the exercise. Highway 144 will remain open.

This is the first time in roughly five years a highway has been closed for training reasons.

The closing of highways is rare, but is proof of Fort Stewart’s training versatility; all weapons in use by the Third ID can be fired in Fort Stewart’s training area, which is more than 265,000 acres in size.

Fort Stewart is the largest army installation east of the Mississippi River.