Welding repairs were completed at mid-afternoon Saturday on a 100-year-old water main under the Sunset Strip that blew apart under heavy pressure Friday.
Sunset Boulevard remained closed today at the break and washed-out crater, in the 8400 block of the swanky boulevard near Olive Drive. The pipe first erupted at about 2:20 p.m. Friday, according to the Los Angeles County Fire Department.
Crews from the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power, which supplies water to customers on West Hollywood’s east side, were dispatched to the scene and shut down the flow.
The DWP announced that it had finished welding the old cast-iron pipe at about 3 p.m. and was refilling it with treated water.
The pipe under the Sunset Strip was believed to have been installed in 1916 and was lined with concrete in 1957 “to protect (it) from corrosion and extend its life,” according to the DWP. There is also a 32-inch pipe, operated by the Metropolitan Water District, in the area.
At the height of the water flow, the ruptured pipe spewed about 9,600 gallons of water per minute, DWP spokeswoman Kim Hughes said.
At one point, Sunset Boulevard was closed in both directions between Holloway Drive and Crescent Heights Boulevard, snarling traffic into the Friday evening rush. Some surrounding streets were also closed and buses on Metro’s Line 2 were rerouted from Sunset Boulevard to Santa Monica Boulevard between San Vicente Boulevard and Fairfax Avenue, according to Metro.
The Sunset Strip remained closed today between La Cienega Boulevard and Sweetzer Avenue and there was no immediate estimate available on when the busy thoroughfare would be reopened, said Lt. William Nash of the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s West Hollywood Station.
One eastbound lane was reopened about noon today, but it was closed again after less than an hour because curious motorists slowing to ogle the repair work were causing traffic to back up, Nash said.
While the water was flowing, county and city fire crews used sandbags to divert it from structures and employees of the Mondrian and Grafton hotels scrambled to keep water from flowing into their buildings.
Water from Sunset Boulevard flowed downhill along neighborhood streets toward Santa Monica Boulevard, but there were no reports of residential flooding.
The House of Blues on Sunset Boulevard canceled Friday night’s concert because it was impossible to unload band equipment into the nightclub.