Hazardous Intersection in P.V. Estates to Be Rebuilt

The Palos Verdes Estates City Council has awarded a $555,207 contract for the first phase of reconstructing the hazardous intersection of Palos Verdes drives North and West.

Work by Excel Paving of Long Beach should begin at the end of August and be completed in four months. Crews will be on the job from 7 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. Monday through Friday, and traffic will be slowed by detours, Assistant City Engineer Gary Wynn said Wednesday.

The first phase involves realigning the curve leading north out of the city into Torrance on Palos Verdes Boulevard. This curve, the most dangerous part of the intersection, has figured in several lawsuits against the city.

Two people were killed there in crashes from 1981 to 1983, and 71 other accidents have been reported over the years, including one that left a 29-year-old man with brain damage and led to a $1.4-million settlement by the city’s insurers.

When the first phase is completed, a wide median will separate two lanes going out of Palos Verdes Estates from a single lane coming into the city. The existing curve, which makes a partial S, will be somewhat straightened.

Later phases of the project--work on the triangle intersection and on Palos Verdes Drive West to Via Corta--are not ready for bids, Wynn said.

At Tuesday’s council meeting, several members of the audience said they opposed spending so much money when accidents could be prevented by simply enforcing the speed limits.

Council members said police do patrol the intersection to curtail speeding but cannot be there constantly. They said juries have found speeding and drinking to be factors in accidents there but nonetheless have ruled that the city is somewhat liable because the curve is dangerous.

“This is a problem that we can’t continue to ignore. It won’t go away,” said Mayor Ruth Gralow. “I think this is something we need for safety reasons.”