Kokua Line June Watanabe

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H-1 signs hit by Army trailer to be repaired this week

Question: It has been almost two years since an Army tractor-trailer with an excavator struck an Aiea pedestrian overpass on Sept. 6, 2006. The Army quickly took responsibility and apologized. The state replaced/repaired the damaged overpass, and the Army paid for the damage. In addition, the lights on at least four green overhead highway signs were struck and damaged as the vehicle exited Pearl Harbor and proceeded onto the H-1 freeway. To this day the signs have not been fixed and are not lit at night. When is this damage going to be repaired? Who is paying for it?

Answer: The Army is paying for all repairs made necessary after the oversize Army vehicle struck the overpass and signs, at a total cost of more than $661,000.

The state Department of Transportation is scheduled to replace the lights on the damaged overhead signs this week -- tentatively overnight tomorrow and Wednesday.

Once the work is completed, the Transportation Department will seek about $28,400 in reimbursement, said spokesman Scott Ishikawa.

Although the overpass was repaired last year, the Army still has to reimburse the state $632,790 for that work.

"We had already done the (reimbursement) paperwork for the overpass, but we were informed by federal officials that our claim needs to include all the repair work involved, so this is the last segment," Ishikawa said.

Q: How close can you park your vehicle from a city bus stop on Oahu? Who can you complain to when vehicles park right next to or almost directly in front of a city bus stop? Parking is so tight in some residential areas that in desperation, some drivers park this way.

A: You're not supposed to park at bus stops designated with official regulatory signs containing "no parking" and "tow-away" symbols (Section 15-15.4 of the Revised Ordinances of Honolulu).

These bus stops are typically delineated by a red curb, said James Burke, chief of the Public Transit Division, Department of Transportation Services.

Interestingly, there are a "few" bus stops identified only by a bus icon that does not indicate any parking or tow-away restrictions.

You're allowed to park at these stops, except when parking is restricted along the entire street that includes the bus stop, Burke said.

He said these stops are called "courtesy" stops. They are official city bus stops but are not recorded as "official" in the city Traffic Code.

That's because they're not up to standards; for example, they do not meet the requirements of the Americans with Disabilities Act.

In terms of bus operations, there really is no difference between a "courtesy" bus stop and an official bus stop. However, Burke said the Transportation Department has been "going through a process" of making all bus stops official.

You are advised to call the police at 911 if you see cars illegally parked at a bus stop.