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Sewer Pipe Construction Will Close One Lane Of PCH During Summer

PACIFIC PALISADES (CBS) — Beach season will begin with a lane closed on Pacific Coast Highway, as crews work to bury 3,100 feet of new sewer pipe under the coastal route in Pacific Palisades and Santa Monica.

Wastewater engineers envision a system that will divert polluted runoff from canyons and flood control channels, but that will come at a price.

Barricades are set to go up this week, and one of the three southbound lanes will be closed for two months, Los Angeles officials said.

As work progresses, the closed section will creep a half-mile from Potrero Canyon to the Santa Monica city limits. The good news is that most of the work will occur overnight.

Between 9 p.m. and 5 a.m. weekdays, digging equipment and trucks will be on site, and just one southbound lane will be open.

Signs along the Ventura (101) Freeway in the San Fernando and Conejo valleys warn commuters of the coming congestion.

Northbound traffic will be unaffected. A temporary bridge and bike lane detour have been set up at Santa Monica Canyon for foot and cycle traffic.

The new sewer line, 3-feet in diameter, will carry runoff near the coast to existing sewer mains that feed the Hyperion Sewage Treatment Plant just south of Los Angeles International Airport. The project is being paid for with a $500 million bond issue approved by Los Angeles voters to reduce pollution in Santa Monica Bay.

(©2011 CBS Local Media, a division of CBS Radio Inc. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. Wire services contributed to this report.)

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