Kokua Line
By June Watanabe
Friday, December 18, 1998
Kokua Line
There are a number of wooden utility poles along Farrington Highway between Waipahu and Kapolei that are no longer standing upright, but are leaning toward the highway as if they are ready to fall. In light of the recent pole that toppled on Nimitz Highway, I wonder when was the last time these poles were checked to be sure they're still safe and don't pose a hazard to motorists. Leaning utility poles
within safety parametersSorry it's taken so long to get a response, but it took a while to sort out which utility company was responsible.
Your concern appears to be the poles that run on Farrington between the Kahi Mohala facility and Kapolei.
They belong to GTE Hawaiian Tel but were tilted at the request of Hawaiian Electric Co., said Hawtel spokesman Keith Kamisugi.
However, although the poles are noticeably leaning, they are within the company's safety parameters, he said.
In 1994, Hawtel allowed HECO to lean a few of Hawtel's poles along Farrington to accommodate the installation of HECO's Campbell Industrial Park-Waiau 138kv transmission line on steel poles, he said.
Several circumstances have delayed and will continue to delay returning the poles to their upright position, Kamisugi said.
Work will begin shortly to widen Farrington Highway, which will require relocating the poles to the other side of the road. Once the widening is complete, the poles will be returned to their old site.
The two companies are discussing which company will pay for the pole relocation and restoration, Kamisugi said.
"Both companies understand the public's concern about the situation and are working to resolve the matter in early 1999," he said.
That all said, based on your complaint, HECO did find one of its wooden poles termite-damaged and leaning over near the entrance to the Kapolei Golf Course, said spokesman Fred Kobashikawa.
That pole was to be replaced.
"We thank the caller for that," he said.
It might interest you to know that on Oahu, HECO has a little over 85,000 poles.
"We can't inspect all the poles each year," Kobashikawa said. "What works for us is to use a contractor on a five- to seven-year (inspection) cycle, then to have crews who are on the road daily report any discrepancies."
If damage to a pole is not severe, the wood is simply treated, and that's usually adequate to maintain the pole. With severe damage, the pole is restored using a polyurethane material, or it is replaced," Kobashikawa said.
The water main at Waialae Avenue and Hunakai Street broke. After it was taken care of, the road was left very bumpy. Recently, the Board of Water Supply was working in the same area again. We drive through there daily. Will the road be normal again?
Not until early January, according to the Board of Water Supply.
The BWS apologizes for the condition of the road, said spokeswoman Denise DeCosta. Temporary repairs were made by field crews, and the area was to be inspected again to see if patches are required, she said.
Repaving the road will be done by a contractor. Bids have gone out and the BWS was awaiting responses.
That portion of Waialae Avenue is a state highway, DeCosta said, and the state Department of Transportation has asked that no road be closed down for repairs until after the holidays.
Mahalo
To the man who helped me find my way off the H-3 freeway on my first try to get to Kahaluu the day before Thanksgiving. No one else stopped to help. -- Senior Lady
Need help with problems? Call Kokua Line at 525-8686,
fax 525-6711, or write to P.O. Box 3080, Honolulu 96802.
Email to kokualine@starbulletin.com
