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With Burst Pipe Fixed, Crews Repave Sunset Boulevard Near UCLA

WESTWOOD (CBSLA.com) — Repairs are complete and repaving will start Sunday on Sunset Boulevard, where an antiquated cast-iron main ruptured and caused extensive flooding in parts of Westwood last week.

Gravel surrounding the pipes has "passed a major milestone" and is ready now for the installation of the sub-base that will support the new Sunset Boulevard paving, DWP spokesman Joseph Ramallo said.

But "we are taking one step at a time" and engineers are not prepared to say exactly when the major road link across the north side of the UCLA campus in Westwood will be complete, the city official stressed.

At sunrise Sunday, DWP workers were leveling sand and tamping it down with hoses and shovels.

Under that, compacted gravel sits above the extra steel plating and concrete thrust blocks that have been installed and tested on the 36-inch water mains, Ramallo said.

DWP was using a "construction Zamboni" machine that was vibrating away on fill gravel, packing it in.

Ramallo said two butterfly valves – weighing 4,000 pounds each – were also placed on the 90-year-old cast-iron pipeline, which splits into two pipes where it broke Tuesday.

The pipes endure huge water pressure as they connect Stone Canyon reservoir to the Westside.

The break on Tuesday sent approximately 20 million gallons of water onto the UCLA campus, flooding a parking garage and newly-restored sports center Pauley Pavilion.

UCLA Flooded Car
(credit: CBS)

More than 900 vehicles were left stranded in structures 4 and 7, and have gradually been towed, soggy and muddied, to other parking lots where owners can come pick them up. Owners were still picking cars up Sunday morning and it was unclear how many of these vehicles were still functional.

The Los Angeles Department of Water and Power is taking claims for personal injury or property damage due to the broken water line. Claim forms can be found online here.

Meanwhile, Pauley Pavilion, which had just undergone a substantial renovation in 2012, was still being examined to assess the extent of the water's damage.

The 2014 Teen Choice Awards show, which was set to be nationally televised live from the Pavilion on August 10, will have to find another venue.

Crews this week pumped water out of UCLA's football center building and used blowing machines at the Pavilion to dry out as much of the court as possible.

Nearly four years ago, Pauley Pavilion experienced similar damages when a previous water main broke, causing water to flood part of the floor.

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(©2014 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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