Cranston
Fire Road Closure
August
1, 2018 Riverside, California____
California Department
of Transportation (Caltrans) in partnership with the California Highway Patrol (CHP),
Riverside County Sheriff, Riverside County Emergency Management, United States
Forest Service, Cal-Fire, Riverside County Fire, Idyllwild Fire Department and
Southern California Edison (So Cal Edison) are announcing the partial opening
of State Route 74 and State Route 243 .
The Cranston Fire is 89%
contained and has burned 13,139
acres to date.
State
Route 74 remains closed from Valle Vista (east of Hemet) to Lake
Hemet. State Route 243 remains closed from Lower Saunders Meadow to State Route
74.
BEGINNING TOMORROW, THURSDAY, AUGUST 2, AT 8:00 A.M.,
RESIDENTS, BUSINESS OWNERS AND EMPLOYEES OF BUSINESSES IN THE IDYLLWILD AND
EVACUATED AREAS FOR THE CRANSTON FIRE WILL BE PERMITTED ON THE FOLLOWING
SECTIONS OF State Route 74 AND 243.
• SR 74 will reopen
from Lake Hemet to Mountain Center down to Mc Gaugh Road with pilot car
escort 24/7 until further notice. • SR 243 will reopen from SR 74 to Keen Wild
(San Jacinto Ranger Station in Idyllwild) with pilot car escort 24/7 until
further notice. Again, proof of residency and/or employment status is required.
All motorists must use the pilot car escort for access due to the
continuing work of SoCal Edison, Caltrans and the fire crews.
Be advised that SoCal Edison will continue work to restore
power to the area and will have traffic holds and flagging within the open
sections of SR’s 74 and 243. Ames Construction will also be working to remove
and reinstall guardrail, signs and other repairs on both routes. The CHP will
be assisting Ames Construction and So Cal Edison employees with the pilot car
and flagging operations.
Motorists
are advised to follow all commands and instructions from
the work crews and law enforcement. The speed limit will be reduced during the
traffic control and pilot car escort and there will be occasional traffic holds
within the work zones.
Please have patience and be aware that this will continue to
be an active work zone in the coming weeks and that we are all working together
to restore the communities as quickly as possible.
18-041b Residents are advised that power has not been
restored to all areas and some areas that have power may experience rolling
black outs. Caltrans is advising motorists that in the event of storm activity
or any other unforeseen events, these roads are subject to closure.
Caltrans
and California Highway Patrol will continue to provide
updates when new information when it becomes available. We thank you for your
cooperation and patience during the Cranston Fire and the recovery period. Our
main priority is keeping you and your loved ones safe throughout this process.
National
Weather Service (Flash Flooding):
https://www.weather.gov/safety/flood-hazards Weather: http://www.weather.gov/
Road Closures: http://quickmap.dot.ca.gov/ and http://www.rctlma.org/trans/
Riverside County Emergency Management: http://www.rvcfire.org San Bernardino
National Forest closure: https://goo.gl/9hh
PHOTO COURTESY –Left KTLA U S Forest Right USDA
