The DWP Construction Messing Your Commute is About to Ease

There’s some good news for Eagle Rock residents who take surface streets to get to Silver Lake, Atwater Village or Mid-City: Their slower—and longer—commute since April because of a DWP project to replace a water pipe along Glendale Boulevard is about to become a lot better.

Starting mid-June and through September, two-way traffic will be restored along a stretch of Glendale Boulevard between Rowena Avenue and Fletcher Drive, which had been reduced to a one-way single lane during daytime, according to DWP traffic advisory. Further, the intersection at Glendale Boulevard and Rowena Avenue will be reopened.

However, because traffic in both directions will still proceed along a single lane instead of the usual two lanes, commuters can still expect significant delays and are advised to take alternate routes whenever possible, according to the DWP advisory.

Further, the new traffic plan will require DWP crews to sandblast the road's existing striping on Friday, June 8, to create fresh markings on the street surface. Although a "wet" sandblasting technique will be used, DWP advises nearby residents and businesses to shut windows and doors wherever possible.

The construction is part of the River Supply Conduit Improvement Lower Reach Unit 4 (RSC4) Project, which began in March 2010 and is scheduled to be completed in 2014. The project is aimed at replacing an aging, two-mile water pipe built in the 1940s, says the DWP.

Sections of the same pipe near Griffith Park have sprung leaks in the past, which were repaired with an internal seal system that was essentially a temporary measure until the pipe could be replaced to conform to water regulations mandated by the federal government.

The last time traffic along Glendale Boulevard disrupted commutes was in the fall of 2011. Click here to read about that disruption, which lasted until April 2012—just as the current one kicked in.

Click here for DWP updates about the project and changing traffic conditions.