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Kokua Line
June Watanabe
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Pipes become a fixture along Ala Wai Canal
Question: My wife and I will be moving near Ala Wai Boulevard. We would like to walk on the makai side of Ala Wai Canal, where walkers used to walk. But there are pipes now. When are the pipes going to be removed?
Answer: The sewer pipes and pumps along the makai (ocean) side of the Ala Wai Canal are expected to be removed in January. But it will be years before all the pipes disappear from public view.
For updates on the city's Beachwalk Wastewater Emergency Bypass project, call the hot line, 203-5777, or go online at beachwalkbypass.com.
According to the latest posting, pipes on the mauka side of the canal, and above ground between the Ala Moana Boulevard Bridge and the entrance to Ala Moana Park, will remain for about five years.
To soften the visual blight, the city is "considering ways to place foliage around some of these pipes once they are operational."
Q: Why is the contractor doing such a poor job resurfacing roads in the Coconut Grove area of Kailua? The resurfacing often stops eight to 12 inches from the edge of the old road and about 18 inches on each side of Uluniu Street. Why are the streets being narrowed? I hope the city inspectors don't approve of the job the contractor is doing!
A: We answered similar complaints last year in reference to Lunalilo Home Road ("Kokua Line," April 5, 2005).
At that time, we were told that repaving short of the roadway width is not uncommon and is a temporary "first aid" until the city can come up with funds to hire a contractor to repave an entire roadway.
The same situation applies in Kailua, said Larry Leopardi, chief of the city Road Maintenance Division.
But he says the roadways are not being narrowed: "The first-aid section is feathered into the existing pavement. This appears as dark/black versus the older lighter weathered pavement, but the actual usable roadway width is exactly the same."
Leopardi explained that the temporary repair involves putting a thin layer of asphalt over a deteriorated roadway. This extends the life of the pavement by reducing the amount of water able to infiltrate through potholes and cracks, while also providing a smoother riding surface, he said.
But, this is good only for the short term.
Resurfacing/reconstructing a roadway requires milling the deteriorated surface, reconstructing the "failed areas," then repaving the asphalt to original pavement grades.
"This is the long-term solution but requires the work to be performed by paving contractors," Leopardi said. "City crews don't have the capability to cold-plane or mill the surface of the roadway."
Mahalo
To Scott Hannemann, a young father with the Seabees, who helped me when I was stranded with a flat tire last Thursday. I tried to give him something in return, but he wouldn't take it. I want to thank him and his two young children for being so nice. -- L.S.
Got a question or complaint? Call 529-4773, fax 529-4750, or write to Kokua Line, Honolulu Star-Bulletin, 500 Ala Moana Blvd., No. 7-210, Honolulu 96813. As many as possible will be answered. E-mail to
kokualine@starbulletin.com.
See also: Useful phone numbers