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Kokua Line
June Watanabe
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Kapiolani work noise will last through year
Question:
I live in Moana Pacific, between Piikoi and Pensacola streets. I have lived here since February 2007, when the building was completed. Ever since we moved in, there have been ongoing street repairs on Kapiolani Boulevard below our condo. We have had to listen to the sounds of these repairs almost every night. The repairs start at 8 p.m., usually with the noise of a jackhammer. They work through the night until about 5 a.m. We are trying to be energy-conscious and don't run our air conditioner unless necessary. We enjoy having our windows and lanai door open in the evening, but when the jackhammering starts, it is necessary to close the lanai door so we can hear our TV. If it is a warm evening, we must then turn the air conditioning on. At night, we must close our bedroom windows and turn on the air conditioner. Even with the windows shut, the noise still wakes us up. I have been told that there is a law against working during the night in a residential area. Is that true? We would like to know when these repairs are going to be completed. It has been almost 1 1/2 years now! I can't wait until the construction stops so we can have a good night's sleep again.
Q: Why is none of the roadwork around Kapiolani Boulevard done on Sundays? Kapiolani Boulevard has been torn up for over three years; the potholes have not been repaired. They stop, they start, they close it up, they disrupt everything all around the area. There is no traffic on Sundays, but no one is working. Holidays, no one is working. Why not? Why is it taking forever?
Answer: It does seem as if the $32 million Kapiolani Water & Sewer System Improvements project, a joint effort of the City and County of Honolulu and the Board of Water Supply, has been going on forever.
The actual start date for the project to repair the aging sewer line (built in 1923) and water line (built in 1935) along Kapiolani was September 2006.
The completion date for the underground utility work is targeted for the end of the year.
However, there still will be some nighttime disturbance after that major work is completed.
Under the current contract, repaving will happen after that. The schedule for repaving has yet to be determined.
The actual repaving probably will be performed at night, with some of the major associated work (including reconstruction of curb ramps, traffic signal upgrades, restoration of traffic loop detectors, etc.) taking place during the day, according to Brian Lum of Engineers Surveyors Hawaii, project manager of the water-and-sewer improvement project.
To expedite completion of the project, the contractor is allowed to work 24 hours a day, seven days a week.
As part of that round-the-clock work, a noise variance permit was issued by the state Department of Health to allow construction at night and weekends, Lum said.
He said the contractor has avoided as much as possible working near residential areas at night, but it is not always possible, especially on Atkinson Drive and on Kapiolani Boulevard between Pensacola and Piikoi streets.
Despite the complaint that crews do not work Sundays or holidays, Lum provided this current work schedule:
» Night crews: Sunday through Friday, 7 p.m. to 5 a.m.
» Day crews: Monday through Saturday, 7 a.m. to 5:30 p.m.
Residents in the work area have a break Saturday nights and Sunday days.
The contract specifies that crews are not allowed to work on July 4 and during the holiday period from Thanksgiving to the second week of January, Lum said.
The contractor has worked all other holidays, but also has adjusted its schedule and work locations to accommodate community events, such as parades in Waikiki, charity races and events at the Hawaii Convention Center, he said.
The sewer line work involves installing a resin pipe inside a 36-inch main that runs under Kamakee Street and under Kapiolani Boulevard from Kalakaua Avenue to Kamakee.
Emergency work was done in 2004 on three segments of the main. The current work is to restore the rest of the main.
The water project involves installing new 12-inch mains to replace the existing 73-year-old main under Kapiolani Boulevard, as well as installing a new water main to replace the aging main along Atkinson Drive.
Once that is completed, you are assured "the affected roadways will be restored and resurfaced."
"We understand the inconvenience this project has had on the public and we continue to work with all parties involved to expedite its completion and minimize the overall impact on the community," Lum said. "We appreciate the public's understanding and ask them to bear with us as the project nears completion."
You can find out more about the project, including work locations and schedules, online at www.kapiolaniwatersewer.org. If there is an emergency, you can also call the project's 24-hour emergency hot line, 587-8032.
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