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WEST HOLLYWOOD (KABC) — The water main that ruptured Thursday in West Hollywood, flooding streets and opening a massive sinkhole, was already slated for replacement as part of a high-priority Los Angeles Department of Water and Power infrastructure project.
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The ruptured Sunset Trunk Line is included in LADWP’s Water System Capital Improvement Program as a high-priority replacement project, the department said in a statement Thursday.
The utility budgeted $280 million to replace 6.4 miles of the 36-inch-diameter trunk line, along with 6.4 miles of a smaller water line that runs parallel to it.
According to LADWP, the replacement project is currently in the design phase.
Even with the project designated as high priority, construction was not expected to start for several more years. LADWP’s current schedule calls for work to begin in 2031 and conclude in 2035.
The statement comes hours after the water main break near Sunset Boulevard and Holloway Drive sent water rushing through nearby streets, damaging vehicles, flooding properties and creating a large sinkhole near the Sunset Strip.
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LADWP officials said Thursday that the leak occurred in a 36-inch trunk line installed in 1916.
“This is one of the challenges when our infrastructure is so old,” Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass told reporters at the scene. “It is my understanding that these pipes are over 100 years old.”
Crews spent hours Thursday shutting down the highly pressurized system and responding to damage caused by the break. Officials have not said whether the incident will affect the timeline for the planned replacement project.
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City News Service contributed to this report.