LOS ANGELES, CA – The Los Angeles Department of Water and Power will begin permanent roadway restoration at Sunset Boulevard and Holloway Drive in West Hollywood on Monday, Oct. 19, the City of West Hollywood announced, three months after a large water main break tore up the intersection.
Work is anticipated to continue through Thursday, Nov. 12, the city said. LADWP’s contractor will replace bus pads and pave asphalt in phases, with lane closures, traffic shifts and temporary turning restrictions in and around the intersection.
At least one lane of travel will remain open in each direction throughout every phase, according to the city. The city said the schedule is tentative and may change with field conditions.
The city urged drivers to allow extra travel time, use alternate routes and follow posted signage.
Westbound bus pad replacement comes first
The first phase begins at 7 a.m. Monday, Oct. 19, and runs through 7 p.m. Friday, Oct. 23. Crews will replace the westbound bus pad during that time.
One westbound lane will be closed in a continuous closure, and traffic will shift into the remaining westbound lane.
Eastbound bus pad work spans two stretches
The second phase covers the eastbound bus pad. It is scheduled in two parts, from 9 a.m. Sunday, Oct. 25, through 7 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 29, and again from 9 a.m. Sunday, Nov. 1, through 7 p.m. Monday, Nov. 2.
One eastbound lane will be closed during both stretches.
Asphalt replacement planned in three phases
Westbound asphalt replacement is planned for the third phase. It runs Tuesday, Nov. 3, through Thursday, Nov. 5, from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. each day, with one westbound lane closed.
The fourth phase covers asphalt replacement in both directions. It is scheduled from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. Sunday, Nov. 8, and from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. Monday, Nov. 9. One lane in each direction will be closed in the work area.
The final phase covers eastbound asphalt replacement on Tuesday, Nov. 10, and Thursday, Nov. 12, from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. One eastbound lane will be closed.
During that phase, the right turn from westbound Sunset Boulevard to westbound Holloway Drive will also be closed.
Pipe ruptured beneath the intersection July 16
The restoration follows the rupture of a 36-inch LADWP water transmission trunk line beneath Sunset Boulevard at Holloway Drive. LADWP reported the break at 3:55 a.m. Thursday, July 16, in its initial notice on the incident.
Traffic closures were put in place on Sunset Boulevard between Larrabee Street and La Cienega Boulevard. The break released roughly 17 million gallons of water, according to initial reports.
The City of West Hollywood described its response to the break in a July 16 news release. The city said the rupture prompted an around-the-clock LADWP emergency response and the closure of Sunset Boulevard.
Sheri Lunn, the city’s public information officer, said operations were continuing “around the clock” for safety.
Repairs faced setbacks before the reopening
LADWP Interim General Manager David Hanson called the failure “a big break” at a briefing and said the repair involved about 16 hours of continuous welding. LADWP said the ruptured pipe was a 1916 riveted steel pipe and that about 25 feet of it needed replacement.
Crews encountered pinhole leaks and a secondary leak during the repair. LADWP then put in place an alternate plan to isolate the damaged section of the trunk line and temporarily reroute water through an existing 8-inch pipeline. That step required replacing a 12-inch valve.
Mayor Karen Bass and LADWP asked affected customers to conserve water while the response continued, according to a joint statement posted on LADWP’s news site.
Sunset Boulevard reopened July 24
LADWP said in a July 24 release that it would reopen Sunset Boulevard overnight after completing repairs to the large-diameter pipe. The boulevard had been closed for more than a week.
West Hollywood announced in its own release that the road reopened to traffic at about 11 p.m. Friday, July 24. The city said about 250 LADWP personnel were activated at the peak of the 24-hour-a-day operations.
After the reopening, Hanson said crews had worked tirelessly, day and night, on the complex, multi-phase response.
Trunk line replacement moved up
LADWP said it will accelerate the full replacement of the Sunset Trunk Line, which had been scheduled to begin construction in 2031. The utility said the replacement is expected to take about four years.
The roadway restoration at Sunset Boulevard and Holloway Drive is separate from that larger replacement project.
City keeps a resource page for the response
The City of West Hollywood set up a webpage with regular updates about the water main break response and related resources.
Schedule is tentative through Nov. 12
Phase 1 is set to start at 7 a.m. Monday, Oct. 19, and the work is anticipated to end Thursday, Nov. 12. The city said dates, hours and lane configurations may be adjusted based on field conditions.
