LOS ANGELES, Aug. 3 (UPI) -- The developer of a Los Angeles skyscraper project said it would dig a trench on the construction site to determine whether an earthquake fault runs through it.
Millennium Partners, based in New York, said Friday it does not believe the Hollywood fault runs underneath the $664 million project, but it would halt construction if it is discovered that it does, the Los Angeles Times reported.
"We want to make sure that it's safe and that everyone sees that it's safe," Philip Aarons, one of Millennium's founding partners, said in a phone interview. "We do not believe ... there's a fault there, but we're going to examine and do further testing just to make sure that everybody sees it exactly the same way as we do -- most importantly, the city."
California state law bars the construction of buildings on earthquake faults.
State geologist John Parrish said he believes strands of the Hollywood fault run underneath the proposed skyscraper site, but further tests are needed.
"We rely on the government engineers who are experts in this area. They're not softies. They're people who are tasked with protecting lives and property," said Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti.
