All lanes of the the northbound Pasadena (110) Freeway just north of downtown Los Angeles have been opened, hours after an "immediate hazard" prompted the closure of two lanes Wednesday, according to the California Highway Patrol.
The closure affected the two left lanes near the exit to the Golden State (5) Freeway and began at about 12:30 p.m. (map). All lanes were cleared around 5:15 p.m.
On its website, the CHP predicted the lanes would reopen at 4:30 p.m., but later updated that to an "unknown duration," possibly overnight into Thursday.
A CHP official said at about 4:30 p.m. that most of the leak had been stopped and that the lanes could reopen within an hour. The area surrounding 8th and 9th streets where they intersect with Figueroa Street were in "almost gridlock" as rush hour began, the CHP site said.
The two right-hand lanes remained open throughout the closure.
The CHP website said there was a crack in the ceiling of a tunnel and a broken water pipe that was leaking a large amount of water.
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The problem had caused a "potential electrical hazard," and the leaking water was affecting overhead lights, the website said.
The city Parks and Recreation Department had shut off flow to the pipe and the water remaining was "residual," the CHP website said.
A CHP spokesperson said that city parks workers had needed to obtain a "clamp" to completely shut off water coming from the pipe. Aerial video from mid-afternoon showed workers climbing down a slope from an overpass toward the tunnel.
The arched freeway tunnel is one of the four historic Figueroa Street Tunnels near Dodger Stadium and underneath Elysian Park that were built in the 1930s.
View Lane Closure on 110 Freeway in a larger map
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