Los Angeles Department of Water and Power crews Friday raced to repair a ruptured main that turned streets in West Hollywood into raging rivers that opened sinkholes, pushed around cars and flooded garages while shifting massive chunks of asphalt and concrete slabs.
Workers toiled round the clock using backhoes to expose the broken section of the circa 1916, riveted-steel 36-inches-wide trunk line and set about removing and then replacing the pipe, which unleashed a torrent of water after breaking open around 3 a.m. Thursday on Sunset at Holloway Drive.
The new section of pipe arrived Friday morning and officials told reporters at the scene the temporary repair could be complete and Sunset Boulevard reopened by the end of the coming weekend, but on Friday, Sunset Boulevard remained closed along stretch between Sherburne Drive and San Vicente Boulevard.
According to the LADWP, crews had cut into the damaged section of the 36-inch water main by Friday evening and were expected to continue repairs overnight. After draining the roughly 0.7-mile section of pipeline, workers were excavating the area, removing the damaged pipe and preparing to install a new 25-foot replacement section.
The LADWP said welding the replacement pipe into place could take as long as 16 hours. The line will then be repressurized, inspected for leaks, disinfected with chlorine and tested before being refilled, backfilled and the street repaved.
The department said it is working with the Metropolitan Water District of Southern California, Los Angeles County Public Works and other utilities to protect underground infrastructure during the repairs.
The rupture affected Sunday’s “CicLAvia–Meet the Hollywoods” event, prompting organizers to shorten the planned route through West Hollywood, Hollywood and East Hollywood.
The free event is scheduled from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Organizers said the western end of the 6.1-mile route has been shifted to North La Cienega Boulevard at Santa Monica Boulevard because of impacts from the water main break. The route will continue east through Hollywood to North La Brea Avenue.
CicLAvia officials said streets along the revised route will be closed to vehicle traffic during the event, which is expected to draw thousands of cyclists, pedestrians, skaters and other participants.
Meanwhile, LADWP claims specialists remained on site assisting affected residents. Customers with questions may call 1-800-DIAL-DWP. Claims information is available at www.LADWP.com/Claims.
The City of West Hollywood also launched a webpage with regularly updated information about the response and recovery effort. The site includes LADWP repair updates, street closures, traffic information, Metro detours, parking enforcement changes, claims information, hotel discounts for affected residents and other resources.
City officials encouraged residents, businesses and visitors to check the webpage at www.weho.org/watermainbreak for the latest information as repair work continues.
A number of vehicles were visibly damaged and others were flooded nearly to their roofs in subterranean parking.
Some businesses and at least one residence had water and debris pushed into their premises.
One of the affected businesses was the Dialog Cafe at the corner of Palm Avenue and Holloway Drive, just downhill from the rupture and not far from a second smaller sinkhole in the sidewalk on Palm that two people fell into on Thursday.
Both of those victims were helped out by bystanders and appeared to be okay.
The Dialog Cafe owner put water and coffee out for first responders as efforts to get the usually bustling section of the Sunset Strip back to normal continued.
An estimated 195,000 gallons of water still needed to be removed as of 9:30 p.m. Thursday, Lunn wrote, “LADWP crews will continue to work around the clock until the pipe is repaired and traffic can be safely opened.”
Live television broadcasts and video showed water roaring downhill from Sunset Boulevard at Holloway Drive to Santa Monica Boulevard and into the Metro bus yard on Santa Monica Boulevard near San Vicente Boulevard.
“This is a big break,” Los Angeles County Fire Department Capt. Aaron Katon told City News Service. “We have a lot of old pipes in this area. But a break this big is exceedingly rare.”
Two people fell into a sinkhole that collapsed the sidewalk on Palm Avenue just south of Sunset, a witness who recorded video of the falls said. The two men did not appear to be seriously injured, Bystanders rushed to help and the two men did not appear to be seriously injured, the witness told reporters.
Witness video also showed a wayward Waymo autonomous car driving into a stretch of damaged, flooded road before firefighters disabled, then moved the vehicle.
Katon said firefighters had recently undergone training on how to deal with driverless cars in emergency situations.
A man was seen inspecting his model Jeep, which had a massive chunk of sidewalk wedged beneath it and a Tesla pushed against its front on Palm Avenue.
Another man who lives on the street said he worked late and arrived home to find a cataclysm.
“It was a river,” said Tehran Von Ghasri. “I thought it was a catastrophe. I thought it must have been an earthquake. Maybe a hydrant broke; maybe all the hydrants broke.”
His home and electric Hummer were fine, Von Ghasri said.
By 7 a.m., the rushing water, which pushed around parked cars and sent debris all the way to Santa Monica Boulevard, had been stopped.
Katon said the first priority was ensuring everyone was safe, with first responders going door to door in the affected area. The next priority, he said, was protecting property, pumping out water and helping businesses reopen.
The normally bustling Sunset Strip remained largely deserted as the closures kept customers away and businesses shuttered. Some establishments remained open to refreshments to first responders working in the area.
A pressurized 8-inch line was operational and serving all customers but one, and the water was safe to drink, according to the LADWP’s David Hanson.
“Everyone does have clean water that’s safe to drink,” Hanson said.
While water remains safe to drink, some customers in the immediate area — particularly those on higher floors of buildings near Sunset Boulevard — reported reduced water pressure, officials said.
“As LADWP crews continue to work urgently to remove water to repair the pipe rupture in West Hollywood, people should avoid the area and conserve water as some may experience a loss of water pressure,” said Mayor Karen Bass.
Metro spokesman Jose Ubaldo said that the Caltrans bus depot at Santa Monica just east of San Vicente Boulevard was flooded but none of the buses were damaged as most were already making runs and the water did not rise high enough to affect the vehicles.
“We were just unable to get them in and out (of the yard),” he said.
In May, Bass unveiled Los Angeles’ first Capital Infrastructure Program, an effort intended to guide long-term planning for projects such as street resurfacing, sidewalk repairs and curb ramp improvements, according to the Los Angeles Times.
The absence of a formal plan has contributed to deferred maintenance and chronic funding shortfalls for infrastructure projects, according to the mayor’s office.
Separately, voters in November are expected to consider a proposed City Charter amendment that would authorize Los Angeles to adopt a five-year capital infrastructure program.
According to the LADWP, the 10-mile Sunset Trunk Line that ruptured had already been designated for replacement. The department said design work is underway on a project to replace nearly 6.4 miles of large-diameter pipeline and 3.5 miles of distribution pipe, with construction expected to begin in 2031.
The LADWP said it replaced more than 246,000 feet of water pipeline during 2024 and 2025 and is on track to replace another 246,000 feet this year. The department also said its leak rate is 36% below the national average, averaging 16.1 leaks per 100 miles of pipe compared with 25 leaks per 100 miles nationwide.
The specific cause of the break was under investigation, but Anselmo G. Collins, the LADWP’s chief operating officer and senior assistant general manager of the water system, said pressure in water delivery lines is highest at night when demand drops.