New Pipe Project for Laurel Terrace Area Nears Completion

An eight-month project of replacing pipes and adding fire hydrants to the area around Laurel Terrace Drive is coming to an end this week.

Crews are on schedule to complete the project and remove the construction equipment and signs that blocked traffic through the area for much of the summer. On a recent afternoon in Studio City, it was quiet in the residential neighborhood nestled between a boutique-lined stretch of Ventura Boulevard and the hilly vistas of Laurel Terrace Drive.

But the leafy streets were dotted with bright orange construction equipment, graffiti-covered road signs and stacks of traffic cones.

The equipment is part of a mainline replacement project that will upgrade water pipes and fire hydrants in the neighborhood. The project, which began in February, is on schedule, said a Los Angeles Department of Water and Power official.

"Most of the work has been completed," the spokesman said. "The final paving of the street is taking place now."

Still, local residents wonder why, after more than half a year of roadwork, their neighborhood remains a construction site.

"This has been going on all summer," said Reza Tash, who visits his grandson in the neighborhood once a week.

At the intersection of Laurel Terrace and Hillslope Street, for example, a metal road plate was marked with one orange sign that read "Power" and another that read "Water."  

On the block of Hillslope between Vantage Avenue and Laurel Terrace, a long line of orange signs and traffic cones ran down one side of the street. Other signs of construction included metal road plates covering excavated areas, newly installed bright yellow fire hydrants sitting next to burlap-wrapped older models and a slew of temporary "no parking" signs hanging in the trees and on posts.

Longtime resident Kevin Gibson also acknowledged that the construction had been going on for months, but said last Wednesday was the first time that the DWP had turned off the water without warning residents. According to Gibson, there was no water service between 10 a.m. and 3 p.m. Aside from this inconvenience, Gibson does not think that the construction has caused any major problems.

"We are happy to be getting new water meters, new copper piping and new hydrants," he added. "The crews have been great and there have been no hassles."

According to the LA DWP, the project included replacing 3,200 feet of four-inch pipe with six-inch pipe on Hillslope, replacing 550 feet of six-inch pipe with eight-inch pipe on Laurel Terrace and installing seven new fire hydrants in the area.

While homeowners such as Gibson may not mind the construction because it should improve their sewer and water service in the long run, other residents have reported that the construction blocked their driveways and intersections which could prevent them from getting to work or school.

On a recent day, Tash was walking down the street with his 14-month-old grandson.

He observed that although most of the neighborhood's residents are probably waiting for the construction equipment to be cleaned up, his machinery-loving grandson will be sorry to see it go.