From the BOE:
Mt. Lee Drive is closed -- and will remain closed through March -- from Deronda Drive to the Mulholland Fork, due to an upslope water-pipe leak that undermined the road-bed. Councilman LaBonge introduced an emergency motion earlier this month to make sure restoring this critical public safety route got top priority. Since then, plans have been approved and a contractor retained to do the work, which is underway now and will continue through the end of March. You can still hike up to Mt. Lee Drive, above the closure, from the Griffith Observatory. The following is from the City of Los Angeles Bureau of Engineering, describing the road-repair project.
On the evening of January 27, 2012, a washout of the Mulholland Highway developed approximately 1/5 of a mile northeast of the intersection of the Mulholland Highway and Deronda Drive in the Hollywood Hills. The Bureau of Street Services closed the road to vehicular traffic. Since this section of the Mulholland Highway is essential in providing access to the Mt. Lee Communications Center (one of the City's major emergency communication facilities), the roadway is being repaired on as a matter of urgent necessity.
On Friday, February 10, 2012 the City Council adopted a Motion (CF 12-0210) which directed the Bureau of Engineer to immediately begin design and construction to repair the road. On February 10, 2012 the Bureau of Engineering issued a construction order to an emergency on-call contractor to start repairs, and work began Saturday morning, February 11, 2012. The repair will realign the road by removing the hard bedrock along the slope above the road, and filling the washout with angular rock. A storm water catch basin and dispersal pipe is also included as part of the final repair.
Construction is proceeding on an expedited basis. The construction is scheduled to be substantially completed by end of March 2012, provided no unforeseen conditions are uncovered that may prolong the grading operations. Gene Edwards of the Bureau of Engineering is the Project Manager (213) 847-0463.
