Months Of Single-Lane Traffic Begin On Palos Verdes Drive South

RANCHO PALOS VERDES, CA — Drivers traveling along Palos Verdes Drive South should prepare for months of delays beginning Monday as a long-term sewer rehabilitation project gets underway along the major Peninsula route.

The Los Angeles County Sanitation Districts is beginning work along a stretch of Palos Verdes Drive South running from the Rancho Palos Verdes border with San Pedro, east of La Rotonda Drive, to west of Schooner Drive, according to a traffic alert issued by the city of Rancho Palos Verdes.

Flaggers will control traffic through the construction area, allowing vehicles to travel in alternating directions using a single lane. Work is expected to continue through February 2027. Construction will generally take place from approximately 8:30 a.m. to 6 p.m. Mondays through Fridays and from approximately 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. Saturdays, according to the city.

Officials warned motorists to expect delays and consider alternate routes while the work is underway. Drivers who must travel through the construction zone are being asked to slow down, yield to workers and obey traffic controls.

$19 Million Sewer Rehabilitation Project

The work is part of the Sanitation Districts' Joint Outfall J Unit 1E Trunk Sewer Rehabilitation project, also known as Project 5756, which extends through portions of Rancho Palos Verdes and San Pedro. The broader project will rehabilitate approximately 11,300 feet of existing sewer lines of varying diameters and 27 manholes, according to a California Environmental Quality Act filing for the project.

The existing sewer lines will be rehabilitated using cured-in-place pipe lining, a process that allows existing pipes to be lined rather than replaced through conventional excavation. Los Angeles County Sanitation Districts budget documents describe the project as the rehabilitation of a corroded sewer and list a total project budget of $19 million. The agency's fiscal year 2026-27 budget includes approximately $11.3 million for the project, with overall completion currently estimated for June 2028.

The broader rehabilitation project is divided into four segments extending through areas that include the Trump National Golf Course, Ocean Trails Reserve, Shoreline Park, the Palos Verdes Shores Mobile Homes and Golf community and West Paseo del Mar before terminating at the Sanitation Districts' Whites Point Pumping Plant.

The work beginning Monday on Palos Verdes Drive South is expected to have a more immediate effect on drivers through February. Rancho Palos Verdes officials said city staff is coordinating with the Sanitation Districts in an effort to minimize traffic impacts when Palos Verdes Drive South undergoes routine resurfacing in the landslide area.

The city's traffic alert does not attribute the sewer rehabilitation project to land movement. The Sanitation Districts has undertaken separate emergency sewer projects elsewhere along Palos Verdes Drive South in response to ground movement in the area.

Additional information and updates on the sewer rehabilitation are available through the Los Angeles County Sanitation Districts' Project 5756 website. Anyone who encounters an after-hours problem or has concerns about odors related to the sewer system can contact the Sanitation Districts' 24-hour number at 562-437-6520.