We address modeling and control of a gate access automation system. A model of the mechatronic system is derived and identified. Then an approximate explicit feedback linearization scheme is proposed, which ensures almost linear response between the electronic driver duty cycle input and the delivered torque. A nonlinear optimization problem is solved offline to generate a feasible trajectory associated with a feedforward action and a low level feedback controller is designed to track it. The feedback gains can be conveniently tuned by solving a set of convex linear matrix inequalities, performing a multiobjective trade-off between disturbance attenuation and transient response. The proposed control strategy is tested on an industrial device. The experiments show that it can effectively meet the requirements in terms of robustness, load disturbance rejection and tracking performance.