Water Main Break Forces Road Closure

A water main break Thursday night in Palos Verdes Estates resulted in the closure of Palos Verdes Drive North between Via Alameda and Palos Verdes Drive West, police said Friday.

Sgt. Steven Lebeau of the Palos Verdes Estates Police Department told Patch that though the road opened to eastbound traffic midafternoon Friday, westbound Palos Verdes Drive North remained closed.

"Right now, we're not sure (when it will reopen)," he said. "They're going to be working throughout the night."

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He said the westbound lanes will reopen "hopefully sometime tomorrow afternoon."

The water main broke "under a dirt embankment in the 2500 block of Palos Verdes Drive North," according to Daily Breeze reporter Larry Altman. "The water flow caused a large amount of dirt and mud to slide onto the roadway."

Lebeau said the moving ground caused a nearby utility pole with live power lines to "(sag) a little bit."

"They were concerned that it may fall, so that's why (Southern California Edison) suggested we evacuate people on the street," he said.

Residents were evacuated Thursday night while Edison shut down the lines and rerouted the power. They were allowed back in their homes by Friday morning; however, some people were still displaced because the water was shut off, Lebeau said.