Gas leak repairs near LAX have forced major road closures and are expected to severely impact Memorial Day holiday traffic.
The northbound lanes of Sepulveda Boulevard at Imperial Highway as well as the east and westbound lanes on 96th Street have been closed after a 6-inch steel gas main and a water main were struck and damaged by a third party utility worker.
Erick Rivas, a spokesman for SoCalGas, released a statement to City News Service saying, “This third-party work was not related to any SoCalGas work. At this time, we do not believe there will be any disruptions to gas service.”
He continued, “SoCalGas crews are currently on site making temporary repairs.”
The incident happened in the 9600 block of Sepulveda Boulevard and 96th Street in Westchester just after 9 p.m. on Wednesday. Shortly after, multiple agencies arrived at the scene of the incident, including the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power (LADWP) and SoCalGas.
So far, no evacuations have been put in place.
Temporary repairs are currently in progress, and at this time it is unclear how long the streets will remain closed. Meanwhile, emergency and utility crews will remain as they manage the damage, and transit officers will monitor traffic during the Memorial Day travel rush.
Travel to and from Los Angeles airport will be “severely impacted until temporary repairs are completed,” LAFD spokeswoman Jennifer Middleton stated.
As a precaution, the LAFD has sent out an official alert, advising travelers to “allow extra travel time and check traffic before heading into the area.”
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