Work continued Thursday repairing a 6-inch gas line that was struck by a construction crew in Westchester, making getting in and out of Los Angeles International Airport more tricky as Memorial Day weekend travel commenced.
SoCalGas crews made temporary repairs and worked overnight on the break, which occurred when a Los Angeles Department of Transportation construction crew was doing utility work about 9:10 p.m. Wednesday near the 9600 block of Sepulveda Boulevard, according to the Southern California Gas Company.
Repairs were expected to be completed some time Thursday afternoon, a utility spokesman told City News Service.
The gas company was notified of the break about 9:30 p.m. Wednesday.
The northbound lanes of Sepulveda Boulevard were closed at Imperial Highway along with the east- and westbound lanes at Sepulveda Boulevard and 96th Street, said Los Angeles Fire Department spokeswoman Jennifer Middleton.
The leak was stopped about 2 a.m. Thursday.
Service remained disrupted Thursday for about 10 natural gas meters serving LAX, ‘”potentially impacting some food services at the airport,” said Erick Rivas, a spokesman for SoCalGas.
“SoCalGas crews remain on-site completing permanent repairs to the damaged main and to help safely restore natural gas services to businesses at LAX,” he said.
The damage to the gas line was caused by a third-party crew doing utility work, Rivas said.
” This third-party work was not related to any SoCalGas work,” he told City News Service.
Rivas acknowledged traffic impacts were possible during the repair work, which could play havoc with the rush of people heading in and out of LAX as Memorial Day weekend travel was beginning.
SoCalGas reminds residents, business owners and their contractors to call 811, a free service to help prevent injuries and damage to underground utility lines, before digging at construction sites or in yards.