East County : Black Star Canyon Road to Be Closed Year-Round
Black Star Canyon Road, already closed to the public for most of the year because of fire danger and storm damage, will now be off limits year-round, the Board of Supervisors decided Wednesday.
The board voted 4 to 0 (Supervisor Thomas F. Riley was absent) to reduce maintenance of the 7.8-mile dirt road, which twists its way through the Santa Ana Mountains to the Riverside County Border (where it becomes Skyline Drive), and close it to all traffic except public safety vehicles and local residents and property owners.
The county will now maintain the road only to ensure accessibility by fire and other emergency vehicles, said Supervisor Gaddi Vasquez, whose district includes Black Star Canyon Road.
By closing the road, the county hopes to escape liability in the event of a traffic accident. Last year, Riverside County and its insurers paid $3.7 million to settle a lawsuit stemming from a 1982 accident on Skyline Drive.
The county will install locked gates along the road and distribute keys to landowners and residents.
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