By Dennis Oda, Star-Bulletin
Grating along the Diamond Head side of the bridge.
Grate disguise
for water pipesThe McCully Street bridge across the Ala Wai Canal -- an otherwise entirely undistinguished structure dating back to the late 1960s -- has put on a little bulk in the last couple of years. We're talking about a grated extension on the Diamond Head side that adds a dozen feet or so to the bridge's width.
Is it a secret passageway for Hawai'i Convention Center attendees to secretly sample Waikiki's night life? A sluiceway for all that excess fried material from nearby restaurants?
Nothing that interesting. The Board of Water Supply put in two new water pipes in August 1995 and decided to cover them with the grating. A 30-inch pipe supplies a good portion of Waikiki's water needs; an adjacent 16-inch pipe is a back-up in case there's a problem with the 30-incher.
A 30-inch pipe is pretty big. The largest pipes in use in the islands are 42 inches, according to board spokeswoman Denise DeCosta.
The grating is purely decorative, streamlining the looks of the bridge, which -- let's face it -- would not be improved by a couple of pipes tacked on the side.
But just think of the possible tour-driver patter. "Ladies and gentlemen, to your left, rising above the mighty Ala Wai Canal, is the McCully Street bridge. Without that bridge, if we turned left to go to McCully Chop Suey, we'd go right into the canal, ha-ha!
Burl Burlingame, Star-Bulletin.
