Main Gate at Beale Air Force Base Closed Indefinitely
BEALE AIR FORCE BASE (CBS13) - The main entrance gate at Beale Air Force Base will be closed indefinitely.
The military will close the Schneider Gate on May 31st in order to address safety and security concerns. The Facebook post also says the geographic proximity the Schneider Gate has to other gates led to the decision to close it.
The hours for several other gates were also updated.
- Wheatland Gate: 5 am-9 pm
- Doolittle Gate: 24/7
- Vassar Lake Gate: 24/7
- Grass Valley Gate: 5 am-9 pm
The decision to close the Schneider Gate and alter the hours of the other gates came after a gate study was done in March. The results led to a solution that "balances the geographic challenges, traffic safety, mission, people, convenience and security of the base."
In late March a man drove his minivan into the gates at Travis Air Force Base. His minivan contained propane tanks that caused the minivan to burst into flames. The incident forced base officials to close several entrances for several weeks. Investigators call the Travis Air Force Base incident an isolated event. The driver died and his motive remains unknown.
Officials at Beale say incidents like the one at Travis led them to study the gates.