WOODLAND HILLS : Storm Drain Project to Begin June 15

Construction is set to begin June 15 on a 1,000-foot storm drain extension along Canoga Avenue in Woodland Hills, in an effort to divert floodwaters that swelled the busy street during the past two rainy seasons.

The three-month project on Canoga Avenue south of the Ventura Freeway will link the drain that stops at the freeway with a proposed Los Angeles County pipeline, scheduled to run south from Avenue San Luis to about Mulholland Drive, said Rosalynd Wayman, an aide to City Councilman Marvin Braude, who represents the area. The county project probably will begin within several months, she said.

“The community is just ecstatic about this,” Wayman said. “It’s a bit of an inconvenience, but the flooding has been horrible there, and has just increased over the years. Because of the storms and the intensity of the runoff last year, the water was over the curbs.”

The $450,000 project, including installation of a 5 1/2-foot pipe, manholes and lateral drains, will be funded with gas tax revenues. Some lanes of Canoga Avenue may be temporarily shut down along the project area, but there will be no street closures, Wayman said.