Construction on PCH to Affect Traffic Through End of 2012

If you regularly drive on the Pacific Coast Highway, buckle up for a series of intermittent closures that will begin next week and last through the end of 2012. Accordingly, Los Angeles' Department of Public Works is urging PCH users to consider taking alternate routes.

On Monday, construction will begin on the 4,500-foot Coastal Interceptor Relief Sewer, the Department of Public Works said Friday morning. The $10 million wastewater pipe runs along the PCH in the Pacific Palisades, but streets in Santa Monica are also due to be impacted. The construction will start at the project's south end, near the Annenberg Community Beach House. Workers will work their way north and finish the construction just south of Temescal Canyon Rd.

The construction will take place Mondays through Fridays, and on some Saturdays too. Work hours on the project will be from 7 a.m. through 4 p.m. and 9 p.m. through 5 a.m.

From Monday through Mar. 11, up to two southbound lanes on the PCH, between Entrada Dr. and the Annenberg Community Beach House, might be closed at various intervals due to construction on the highway. The closures would likely occur between 9 p.m. and 5 a.m., when surveyors work on the project, but all lanes will be open for the morning rush-hour traffic.

One southbound lane on the PCH will stay open regardless of the construction, and it is anticipated that the northbound lanes will not be impacted.

The Department of Public Works said southbound traffic will continue to be affected intermittently through the end of next year, and that work affecting traffic will stop from Mar. 11 through Apr. 11, when the installation of the sewer starts.

A detour option will be provided for cyclists.

Dust and noise will also result from the construction, and some beach parking will not be available.

“The CIRS will complement the work of our enhanced low-flow diversions that keep urban runoff out of Santa Monica Bay," City Engineer Gary Lee Moore said. "We appreciate everyone’s cooperation as we deliver this necessary infrastructure development that will promote clean water, protect the ocean and render critical wastewater services to Los Angeles residents for years to come.”