Sunset Boulevard reopens after flooding near UCLA

LOS ANGELES >> Sunset Boulevard reopened early Monday after crews completed repairs following a water main break that created a sinkhole and inundated parts of the University of California, Los Angeles.

Traffic on the major east-west thoroughfare began moving again around 1:30 a.m., according to a statement from Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti’s office.

The statement noted that for the time being vehicles will be required to slow down on the affected part of the boulevard. Overnight closures were planned for Friday and Saturday and possibly Sunday to complete repairs.

On Saturday crews finished major repairs on the nearly century-old pipe that burst and spewed some 20 million gallons of water into the street and onto the UCLA campus, ruining the new basketball court at famed Pauley Pavilion.

Workers replaced the ruptured pipe junction, welded it and installed a pair of 36-inch butterfly valves that weigh two tons each, the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power said.

The new section was reinforced with concrete blocks and extra steel plating to protect the joint, the agency said.

The torrent flooded six UCLA facilities and swamped or stranded hundreds of cars in parking garages. The university retrieved many of the vehicles, and students were allowed to reclaim some of them through the weekend.

City staffers offered reimbursement forms for those whose possessions had flood damage.

UCLA also has begun a crowdfunding effort to raise $1 million to help students, faculty and employees affected by the flooding.

The floors should be replaced at Pauley by early November, UCLA officials said.

"I am very happy to learn that Pauley Pavilion will be ready for the UCLA men’s and women’s basketball season," Garcetti said.