The main gate at Naval Air Station North Island was briefly closed Tuesday morning after guards spotted a box on the carriage of a truck entering the gate that required further inspection.
The Coronado Police Department posted a message on Twitter just after 8:30 a.m. advising motorists of the gate’s closure. Initially, officials said nothing about why the main entryway was closed.
The closure caused traffic delays and gridlock in the streets surrounding the naval base on Coronado Island.
As of 9 am., an NBC 7 crew could see police officers roping off some areas near the gate, and others guiding the flow of traffic. Several police vehicles were parked near the base.
Officers soon cleared the area, saying everything was safe. The gate reopened and traffic began flowing normally once more.
NBC 7 confirmed that a truck entering the main gate had captured the attention of guards. On the truck's carriage, guards spotted a box that appeared to have wires sticking out of it.
The truck required extra inspection and, while guards were checking out the box, they shut down the gate, officials confirmed.
Officials ultimately determined the box was part of the operating system of the truck and was nothing suspicious.
NAS North Island is located on the north end of the Coronado peninsula on San Diego Bay. The base is where several U.S. Navy aircraft carriers are homeported.
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Tuesday's security precaution at NAS North Island comes after increased security measures were put in place at U.S. military bases across the country. These measures follow heightened tensions after the U.S. drone airstrike that killed a top Iranian general last week.
