Rossmore water main replacement underway
THE PROJECT will replace one mile of underground pipe and improve water service, DPW officials said.
In the middle of last month, the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power (DWP) announced and commenced a major construction project to replace the mainline water pipe under Rossmore Avenue between Third Street and Melrose Avenue. The construction will impact street traffic in the area for several months. The goal is to provide a reliable supply of better quality water. The existing pipes were placed in 1921.
Project much needed
Longtime Rossmore resident John DeSimio says, “I, for one, am overjoyed that this much-needed and delayed project has come to fruition. The technician who services my water filtration system said that the water in this neighborhood is responsible for clogging the filters, requiring replacement at a faster rate than other areas.” The age of the pipes alone, DeSimio says, has been the source of other problems. “There have been several failures just on the block between Clinton and Rosewood in the past few years, which completely paralyzes the traffic and imposes a health and hygiene risk to the residents.”
Sylvia Beltran works in the DWP’s Community Affairs department. She says that “Residents will have access to their driveways and homes 24/7 during construction, and the streets will be open every evening at 6:30 p.m. We’ve created a website for the Rossmore project, which will be updated and provide current information for the residents. We hope this will help make the transition to the new mainline easier.” The website is: tinyurl.com/jy9ppxs7.
Although there have been some complaints about the last-minute nature of the announcement, Beltran assures the Chronicle that press releases went out in advance to the Los Angeles City Council, as well as several neighborhood organizations including the Hancock Park Home Owners Association, whose residents will be most affected by the construction work.
No left turns
“Occasionally there will be no-left-turn signs prohibiting turns south from Melrose onto Rossmore, and from Third Street for turns north along Rossmore,” Beltran adds. “It’s a small price to pay when you consider that failure ratings are on a scale of ‘A’ to ‘F,’ and Rossmore is rated a ‘D.’ This construction, and the upgrade of the mainline pipes, really couldn’t be put off any longer.”
Daniel Enzler, general manager of the Wilshire Country Club on Rossmore at Beverly, says, “It will have a major impact on traffic here because there will only be one lane for traffic, and our members enter the parking lot from Rossmore.” Still, Enzler will solve that problem by creating another entrance to the club from Rosewood, which is normally used for exiting the parking lot. “I fully agree that the mainline water pipe project is a good idea.”
Metro bus service
Metro Route 210 bus service on Rossmore, which runs from Beverly Boulevard to Melrose and on up Vine Street, will be re-routed along the way, depending upon the progress of the construction. “We’ll be putting up signs in the area on bus stops to explain the detours,” says Patrick Chandler of the DWP, “which will be in English and Spanish.” The project will be completed in October, if not sooner, according to the DWP.
By Wendy Werris
Category: News
