A Department of Water and Power transformer failure Wednesday night left about 20,000 customers in West Los Angeles without power and caused heavy traffic congestion along Santa Monica Boulevard.
By 10:30 p.m., the DWP had restored power to all customers, a DWP spokeswoman said.
Police in the West Bureau went on tactical alert to deal with the traffic problems and darkened streets, said Los Angeles police Officer Karen Rayner.
Power was knocked out in much of the area from the Santa Monica (10) Freeway north to Wilshire Boulevard, and from Sepulveda Boulevard west to the border with Santa Monica, Rayner said.
Police urged the public to stay out of West Los Angeles, where a massive traffic tie up was developing because traffic lights were out in the area, Rayner said.
All main thoroughfares sustained horrendous traffic problems.
The power outage was the second incident of the day to snarl traffic in the area. The Getty Center fire increased congestion earlier.
The Los Angeles Fire Department was called to the transformer near Nebraska and Cotner avenues at 7:47 p.m., the department's Lauren deRosier said.
The cause of the outage was undetermined and there was still no estimate on when power would be fully restored, Interiano said.
