|
Kokua Line
June Watanabe
|
Mysterious cable delays bridge project
Question: What happened to the bridge replacement project at Halawa Stream on Kamehameha Highway near the Arizona Memorial? They installed a temporary bridge to reroute traffic. I don't see any crane movement or work being done.
Answer: Work on the new bridge, initially set to be completed in July, got waylaid by an unexpected discovery earlier this year.
The targeted completion date is now "by the end of 2007," said Scott Ishikawa, spokesman for the state Department of Transportation. The temporary bridge will remain in use until then.
The delay was caused by "an unidentified cable conduit" that was unearthed during excavation work. The conduit, which is not found on any of the area blueprints, crosses Halawa Stream, where the new bridge is being built.
While aspects of the project are continuing, the bridge can't be built until the conduit is relocated.
But that can't happen until its owner and purpose are determined. The origin and ownership are being "meticulously researched and tested," Ishikawa said. Testing is expected to be completed soon.
"With the numerous military facilities in the Pearl Harbor area, we want to be extremely thorough," he said.
The initial cost of the project was $7.2 million. We weren't able to find out what additional costs have been incurred because of the discovery.
Q: More than a year ago, the city relocated the only crosswalk fronting Maunawili District Park in Kailua, presumably to make it safer, yet did not move the crosswalk signs, so the arrows still point to the previous location, with no signs for the new location. This roadway is already dangerous with speeding cars and only one "sidewalk." Any suggestions on getting the city to move the signs to the proper location?
A: The city Department of Transportation Services confirmed "the wayward markings."
"Some type of utility work" apparently was done on Maunawili Road, said Paul Won, chief of the Traffic Engineering Division.
Afterward, an area where the department had earlier relocated a marked crosswalk was patched over, he said. Then, inexplicably, the location of the crosswalk that had been removed was striped, showing a crosswalk across half the roadway.
The existing signs for the relocated crosswalk "are appropriately positioned," Won said.
"We will issue a work order to re-stripe and eradicate the wayward markings, which should then be coordinated with the existing signage," he said.
Mahalo
To the man in the blue shirt who found my phone by Longs Drug Moiliili on Friday night, Oct. 20. He waited patiently out front until I got there. Unfortunately, I was in such a big hurry I forgot to get his name. He was a very friendly, funny guy (he got me laughing as soon as I met him). People like him are the reason I came back to the islands. -- Jon Cook
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