THOUSAND OAKS : Punctured Main Creates Hole in Street

Electrical contractors boring under one of Thousand Oaks’ busiest intersections Monday punctured a water main, damaging pavement and disrupting traffic at the intersection, city officials said.

The flowing water created a gaping 8-by-10-foot hole in Thousand Oaks Boulevard, City Engineer Gil Pableo said.

The electrical contractors were working on the traffic signals at the intersection of Thousand Oaks and Westlake boulevards when they bored through a 12-inch-diameter pipe owned by the California Water Co., Pableo said.

The 10-foot-deep hole was filled with seven feet of water before the flow was stopped, Pableo said.

The water caused extensive cracks to areas of Thousand Oaks Boulevard near the hole, Pableo said.

Lt. Gary Markley of the Ventura County Sheriff’s Department said nine cruisers were dispatched to the scene to help direct traffic.

The entire intersection was initially closed, but some lanes were later reopened, Markley said.

“It’s a relatively major intersection,” Markley said.

Pableo said city crews will work through the night to fill the hole with sand and gravel. He said he hoped to have the intersection fully opened today.