STUDIO CITY : Temporary Street Closure Ties Traffic

Residents are complaining about traffic congestion caused by the temporary closure of Universal Place between Lankershim Boulevard and Willowcrest Avenue.

Homeowners who live in the Weddington Park South neighborhood say that the closure, due to water pipe replacement under Universal Place, has made Bluffside and Valley Heart drives the only routes into and out of their neighborhood.

Before April 11, when the project began, neighbors could also use Universal Place for access to Lankershim Boulevard.

The problem, neighbors say, is motorists on Lankershim who block the intersection with Valley Heart Drive, making it difficult for residents to use the only entrance and exit route currently available to them. The pipe-replacement project is scheduled to be completed by the end of this month.

Biff Elliot, a resident of Weddington Park South, said that he has had to wait up to 15 minutes to turn onto Lankershim.

“I can’t go out of here,” said neighbor Dee Crider. “A couple of mornings ago, at 10:30, I had to wait for three lights because traffic (on Lankershim) looked like a slow-moving parking lot.”

Elliot and Crider said they would like to see the city or county assign a traffic officer to the corner to stop drivers from blocking the intersection. Elliot said the problem is worse on nights when there are special events at the Universal Amphitheatre.

A traffic officer or supervisor will be sent to check on that intersection Friday and Saturday, said Betty McMaryion, a senior supervisor with the Los Angeles Department of Transportation’s Valley Parking Enforcement Office, which is responsible for directing traffic in emergencies and other unusual circumstances.

But McMaryion said that, due to a shortage of traffic officers, someone cannot be assigned to that intersection on a regular basis and will only return when her office receives a complaint. The traffic supervisor said she was not aware of the Department of Water and Power, which is replacing the pipe, requesting traffic assistance related to the project.