Downtown Los Angeles in Los Angeles County, California — The American West (Pacific Coastal)
Sylmar Tunnel Disaster
Honoring The Lives
Photographed by Craig Baker, October 28, 2017
1. Sylmar Tunnel Disaster marker
On June 24, 1971, an explosion and fire took the lives of seventeen construction workers building a tunnel in Sylmar, California. The tunnel was being built for the Metropolitan Water District of Southern California by the Lockheed Shipbuilding and Construction Company. The 5.5 mile, 18-foot diameter tunnel was intended to carry water from the State Water Project into Southern California. To this day, it remains one of the worst tunnel disasters in California and it led to passage of the toughest mining and tunnel regulations in the country.
The memorial is dedicated to the men who lost their lives that day, Metropolitan employee Louis Richardson, Sr. and the sixteen Lockheed employees, the sole survivor Ralph Brissette and the emergency responders who risked their own lives.
Forrest Aldridge · William I. Ashe · Robert E. Ballow · Danny Blaylock · Jose Carrasco · Willie Carter · Ronald Demo · Paul John Drobot · Mike Gutierrez · Gary A. Nichols · Russell Overstreet · Jonas V. Peters · Louis L. Richardson Sr. · William J. Snodgrass · Alvin H. Spreen · Robert K. Stovers · Robert W. Warner
Erected 2013 by Metropolitan
this page online
Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Disasters • Industry & Commerce • Man-Made Features. A significant historical date for this entry is June 24, 1971.
Location. 34° 3.322′ N, 118° 14.187′ W. Marker is in Los Angeles, California, in Los Angeles County. It is in Downtown Los Angeles. It can be reached from Alameda Street just north of U.S. 101, on the right when traveling north. Located in the courtyard between the Metropolitan Water District building and Union Station. The courtyard is kept closed to prevent homeless encampments. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 700 Alameda Street, Los Angeles CA 90012, United States of America. Touch for directions.
Regionally, this marker is in California’s Transverse Ranges. It is also on the American Pacific Coast. Globally, it is in North America, on the Ring of Fire, in the Pacific Rim, in the Western Hemisphere, in the Western World, and in the Anglosphere. Historically, it finds itself in what was once New Spain and also Mexicos Alta California.
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other
Photographed by Craig Baker, November 2, 2017
2. Sylmar Tunnel Disaster Marker
Another marker is no longer nearby. Bell of Dolores (was about 600 feet away but has been confirmed missing).
Regarding Sylmar Tunnel Disaster. After the Feb 9, 1971 Sylmar Earthquake, the amount of methane gas seeping into the tunnel construction site increased, but the ventilation system was not upgraded to handle it. The contractor ignored warnings by the safety inspector.
Read more: The Sylmar Tunnel Disaster, a book by Janette Zavattero.
Cal-OSHA was created as a response to the Sylmar Tunnel Disaster. It increased safety in the
Photographed by Craig Baker, October 28, 2017
3. Marker in courtyard
The sealed portal of the abandoned tunnel and stacked pre-cast tunnel segments can be seen from Fenton Avenue near Maclay Street in Sylmar, 30 miles north of the marker.
A circular building on top of the vertical gate shaft can be seen from Foothill Blvd west of Roxford Street.
Also see . . . LAFD History - Sylmar Tunnel Explosions. (Submitted on May 30, 2021.)
Photographed by Craig Baker, November 8, 2017
4. Pre-cast Tunnel Segments
Still stacked in Sylmar, 50 years later.
Photographed by Craig Baker, November 8, 2017
5. Sylmar Tunnel Portal
Permanently sealed. Near Maclay Street and Fenton Ave.
courtesy SoCal Outdoor Explorer, 2022
6. Sylmar Tunnel Portal
courtesy Los Angeles Times, 1971
7. Locomotive Exiting the Tunnel
courtesy Los Angeles Times, June 25, 1971
8. Diagram and Map of Tunnel
Photographed by Craig Baker, August 13, 2022
9. Tunnel Gate Shaft
At 15050 Foothill Blvd, near Roxford Street. It looks like a water tank (but it has an access door).
Credits. This page was last revised on February 9, 2026. It was originally submitted on October 30, 2017, by Craig Baker of Sylmar, California. This page has been viewed 9,829 times since then and 455 times this year. Last updated on November 7, 2018, by Craig Baker of Sylmar, California. Photos: 1. submitted on October 30, 2017, by Craig Baker of Sylmar, California. 2. submitted on November 3, 2017, by Craig Baker of Sylmar, California. 3. submitted on October 30, 2017, by Craig Baker of Sylmar, California. 4, 5. submitted on January 28, 2018, by Craig Baker of Sylmar, California. 6. submitted on March 7, 2023, by Craig Baker of Sylmar, California. 7. submitted on January 28, 2018, by Craig Baker of Sylmar, California. 8. submitted on December 14, 2021, by Craig Baker of Sylmar, California. 9. submitted on October 16, 2022, by Craig Baker of Sylmar, California. • Andrew Ruppenstein was the editor who published this page.
