Water Equipment Repairs Will Close Lanes In Beverly Hills

BEVERLY HILLS, CA — Repairs to Beverly Hills water infrastructure will prompt road closures in January and February.

The Los Angeles Department of Water and Power will replace two shutoff valves on a major line under Sunset Boulevard at Sierra Drive and Alpine Drive, representatives said at Beverly Hills' Jan. 3 city council meeting.

"It's a lot of work needed on a very old line," said Shana Epstein, Director of Public Works.

The two valves, which allow LADWP to isolate major water main breaks during major emergencies, were installed in 1950 and are currently "inoperable" without replacement, according to Amgad Farag, a construction engineer with LADWP.

Work on the valve at Sunset Boulevard and Sierra Drive is scheduled to start on Jan. 23, while construction on Alpine Drive will start in mid-February. Both phases were preliminarily expected to be complete in March, Farag said.

Neither phase would result in water loss to residents, Farag said, but water would be cut for one Saturday in late March. Residents would be given at least 15 days notice before construction started, Farag said.

The first phase of construction at Sierra Drive will include a daily lane closure on eastbound Sunset Boulevard during construction hours of 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday through Friday and 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Saturdays. Residential, pedestrian and emergency access would be maintained in the area. A message board would be installed on Sunset Boulevard to direct traffic, Farag said.

Parking will be restricted near the construction area with posted signs indicating tow-away and no parking zones.

The Alpine Drive construction would result in one daily lane closure with someone directing traffic on Sunset Boulevard at both Alpine Drive and Foothill Road.