Tesoro resumes liquid asphalt production

Storage tank repairs pave the way for a resurfacing project at the airport

Tesoro Hawaii has resumed liquid asphalt production and is pumping it into a newly reconfigured 100,000-barrel storage tank.

Work on the tank was completed Friday, said Nathan Hokama, Tesoro Hawaii spokesman.

Fire damaged the original 25,000-barrel liquid asphalt storage tank at Tesoro's Campbell Industrial Park facility on June 13. Investigation into the extent of the damage is ongoing.

Hokama said the liquid asphalt is awaiting certification that it meets standards for state and city projects.

Testing for certification is done on the mainland and could take a week. But that does not prevent Tesoro from distributing liquid asphalt to customers eager to start using it, said Rod Haraga, state Department of transportation director.

Liquid asphalt is mixed with aggregate to make road asphalt.

The state has had enough road asphalt to continue surface repairs along Kalanianaole Highway through Waimanalo, and construction of a temporary median lane on Kailua Road, Haraga said -- but not enough to begin badly needed resurfacing of a runway taxiway at the Honolulu Airport.

"We're still waiting for a large supply of asphalt to do it," Haraga said.