2 Months Left for Cahuenga/Magnolia Roadwork

The parking lane and right turn lane on northbound Cahuenga Avenue could reopen in about two months, when roadwork to widen the street at its intersection with Magnolia Boulevard is expected to conclude, according to city public works officials.

Patch looked into the construction when it received a few emails from readers displeased with the traffic sparked by the construction.

The widening required tearing out sidewalk at the southeast and southwest corners of the intersection, said Foreman Cesar Rangel of Excel Paving, which is carrying out the construction.

Rangel said concrete for new sidewalks will be poured in the next 60 days along with other tasks such as repaving the road and installing new traffic lights.

He said the widening would allow for bigger turnouts for drivers.

Rangel added that workers found an old underground gas tank that needs to be removed.

Tonya Durrell, a spokesperson with the city’s public works department, said there was no record of the tank with the city and that industrial hygienists would work to remove it.

“It’s now fenced off and there’s warning signs,” she said. “The public is in no danger, there are no odors at this time or threats to the public.”

The eventual removal would not spark a delay in roadwork, Durrell said.

The new pocket turnouts are part of a larger project to widen westbound Magnolia from Vineland Avenue to Caheunga by adding a second lane, an effort that could take until next spring or summer to complete, she said.