Cleanup and repair work continued Saturday on a ruptured water main that unleashed water through West Hollywood streets, flooding roadways, damaging several businesses and forcing closures along Sunset Boulevard.
The disruption is expected to continue as crews work to restore the area. Officials have replaced the ruptured pipe but still need to test it to ensure it is functioning properly. Once testing is complete, crews will turn their attention to repairing the massive sinkhole left behind.
Residents who stopped by to check on the progress said the incident has been a major inconvenience, while nearby businesses said they are losing customers during what they expected to be a busy weekend.
“Ever since this happened, the traffic hasn’t been easy to manage,” West Hollywood resident Reed Haymons said. “I feel so bad for the people that live downhill because the flooding was terrible. Yeah, it’s been really inconvenient, but I hope they can fix it soon.”
For people who live along Sunset Boulevard and businesses in the area, the effects of Thursday’s water main break have stretched into the weekend.
Many are now dealing with the aftermath by cleaning muddy vehicles, assessing damage and wondering what comes next.
Residents said traffic has been diverted onto smaller neighborhood streets, creating congestion beyond the immediate closure area.
Local businesses, especially those near the sinkhole, said they are feeling the financial impact as customers struggle to reach them.
“We’re open back up today, but the whole street’s closed, which is a mega bummer because it’s World Cup weekend, the final,” said TK Power, a State Social House employee. “So, it’s a big letdown.”
At Dialogue Café, Manager Jennifer Ko said employees are still assessing the extent of the damage.
“We’re cleaning and organizing everything to really understand the damage here,” Ko said. “We are not sure when we can open and we’re all very sad not only for our company but also the neighbors who are all impacted by this water pipe leak.”
As crews continue their work, several businesses remain inaccessible to vehicle traffic.
Business owners said they are still open to pedestrians and are grateful for any community support while repairs continue.