North entrance to Mt. Diablo State Park closed through mid-fall

North entrance to Mt. Diablo State Park closed through mid-September

The north gate road and entrance to Mount Diablo State Park will be closed Friday because of construction that will last through the summer. Dave Detling reports

OAKLAND, Calif. - The North Gate Road and entrance to Mount Diablo State Park will close beginning Friday because of construction that will last through the summer.

Park officials expect the work to continue and the gate to be closed through mid-September.

Crews will repair a portion of the road that was damaged during winter storms.

"The rain was crazy," Will Kilcourse said. "The mountain is still saturated because of that."

Viewer submitted photo shows original road collapse inside Mt. Diablo State Park. ( )

Kilcourse and his family live on a 70-acre ranch inside the park. He said the Walnut Creek entrance closure will be inconvenient but added, its necessary.

"This morning was the last use of the entrance," he said. "My commute will be another half-an-hour. Any way you look at it that's the minimum. The road is winding. I'm in a giant van and the south side is a hell of a lot twistier. I'll just have to get used to Danville."

California State Park officials are asking anyone who wants gain access to the park to use the South Gate entrance, located at 2675 Mt. Diablo Scenic Blvd. in Blackhawk on the Danville side of the mountain.

The closure will allow for road repairs and reinforced stability of hillsides in the area.

This means that no one but workers will be on this road. The closure applies to pedestrians, vehicles, and bicyclists and equestrians.

Officials expect the North Gate entrance to reopen on September 19.

Updates will be posted here.