Frequently Asked Questions
Q: What is the Topanga Canyon Boulevard Undergrounding Utility District (UUD) project?
A: The Topanga UUD project will remove the potential 'fire' hazards caused by downed power-lines and improve the area aesthetics by undergrounding the overhead utility lines.
Q: Where is the project located, and will there be traffic impacts during construction?
A: The project is located on Topanga Canyon Boulevard between Cuesta Cala Road and approximately 300 feet north of the Frontier building and Old Topanga Canyon Road between Topanga Canyon Boulevard and Riding Lane in the unincorporated County of Los Angeles area of Topanga. There will be no road closures, but only temporary single lane closures and access to businesses will be available during construction. North and southbound traffic will alternate during single lane closures.
Q: Which agencies/companies are involved?
A: Public agency partners include the County of Los Angeles and Caltrans and the utility company partners are Southern California Edison, Frontier, Verizon Wireless, AT&T Mobility, Charter Spectrum and Crown Castle.
Q: How will environmental/archaeological issues be addressed?
A: From previous projects in the area, it is known that the area is home to Native American artifacts. For this reason, an environmental document was adopted by the County of Los Angeles Board of Supervisors, which addresses the mitigation measures to be implemented if Native American artifacts are discovered.
Q: How will my child's school be impacted?
A: Construction will be limited to the hours of 9am to 3pm, Monday thru Friday to minimize impacts to nearby schools.
Q: Will customer access to my business be impacted?
A: Customer access to businesses and public safety will be of the highest priority. It is expected that impacts will be minimized by maintaining at least one entrance into the business sections and that when crossings are done at driveways that the work is expedited to avoid any prolonged impact to the patrons and the store owners.
Q: Will there be an unhealthy amount of air pollution and noise created from the construction? Are the proposed levels of construction exhaust above safe levels?
A: Construction related air quality and noise impacts were evaluated and found to be less than significant. All air quality levels were shown to be well below the significance thresholds set by the South Coast Air Quality Management District.
Q: Will construction be limited to certain hours?
A: Yes, construction will be limited to 9 am - 3 pm, Monday thru Friday with no construction on weekends and all lanes opened each day at the end of the construction day (unless otherwise scheduled on a specific need). Additionally, construction will not be allowed during the holiday moratorium (Thanksgiving to January 2nd) and Red Flag days as determined by the Fire Department.
Q: Why is this project being done in my area?
A: This particular area was selected due to the high concentration of utility poles and overhead utility lines. These types of projects are done in high traffic areas where the project benefits of relocating utility facilities and improving public safety and aesthetics are expected to produce the best results.
Q: If significant Native American artifacts are discovered, how long would traffic control be in place?
A: Depends on the magnitude and nature of what is found. Currently, the County and SCE are consulting with Native American groups and reviewing the existing cultural resources treatment plan to formulate construction procedures to be implemented during construction for minimizing construction impacts to Native American artifacts. Ultimately, work resumes when Ok'd by the Native American monitor to do so.
Q: Will there be night work? If not, why not?
A: Per Caltrans, night work is allowed provided there are no ordinances prohibiting such. However, the Mitigated Negative Declaration environmental document requires the work to comply with the County Noise Ordinance regarding the hours of work which is during the day.
Q: Will I be without power? If so, how long?
A: Outages are expected to be limited to the 'cut-over' time frame of the project. During that time, notices will go out prior to the expected outage; outage times will be coordinated as best as possible to avoid impacts to local businesses and typically are shorter than posted. For a typical service cut-over, outage time can be as little as four hours.
Q: How can I learn more about this project?
A: To learn more about the project, visit http://dpw.lacounty.gov/CONS/topanga/ or contact Mr. Steve Dunn, Project Manager, at (626)458-3168 or sdunn@dpw.lacounty.gov, between the hours of 6:45 a.m. and 5:30 p.m., Monday through Thursday.
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