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Kokua Line
June Watanabe
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Makaha road will eventually be smoother
Question: On and along Farrington Highway through Makaha, contractors for the Board of Water Supply have torn up the bike paths for their new waterline, and the replacement pavement is poor and so rough it's better to ride in the dirt. There also are dozens of cut-overs where the waterlines were connected by trenching across the highway. These have deteriorated into bad speed bumps. It looks like they're ready to put down striping. This isn't the final road surface, is it?
Answer: The current road surface of Farrington Highway, from Jade Street to Kili Drive, is a temporary patch, following the installation of new waterlines in that Makaha neighborhood.
Most of the repair work has been completed, but the contractor is still working in the area, Board of Water Supply spokeswoman Wanda Yamane told us last week.
The board was aware of concerns over the temporary patch, she said.
A Board of Water Supply construction inspector is monitoring the roadway regularly, and the contractor will be responsible for repair or touch-up work, as conditions warrant, she said.
But it won't be until after summer that the ride along Farrington Highway gets smoother.
That's when the state Department of Transportation is planning a "permanent resurfacing and re-striping" of Farrington Highway, from Orange Street to Kili Drive.
A construction inspector from the Transportation Department is checking progress of the waterline work and temporary paving of the roadway; he'll also have final review of the permanent resurfacing for Farrington Highway, Yamane said.
But it will be the responsibility of the Board of Water Supply contractor to do "permanent paving" of Farrington Highway from Kili Drive to Lawaia Street.
Yamane said the Board of Water Supply thanks Makaha residents for their "continued patience and understanding."
Q: I noticed a state vehicle, and it irritated me because it has a plastic gadget over the rear license plate that makes it difficult to read the license plate, especially at night. I don't know if it's legal or not, but don't think it has any place on state vehicles. Can you check?
A: After we passed on your complaint, state Comptroller Russ Saito, the head of the Department of Accounting and General Services, checked and said he found some covers on vehicles purchased by another state agency.
The covers he saw had car dealership names on them. DAGS' policy is not to allow license plate covers with commercial or other messages.
"I will be issuing a memo asking the various agencies to remove all license plate covers with commercial messages," he said. That also will hold for any cover that obscures any wording on a license plate, he said.
"Whether or not they obscure any wording, covers with commercial messages, nongovernmental organization names and personal slogans are also not appropriate on state vehicles as they may be viewed as endorsements by the state," he said.
Saito thanked you for pointing out the problem.
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.
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