Kokua Line
Kokua Line
Question: After the landslide at Sacred Falls, we noticed that the hillside along the Pali Highway, after Castle Junction, heading into Kailua, looks like an accident waiting to happen. It's packed red dirt, and there have been signs for years saying to watch for rocks. We hadn't driven by there for a while, and were surprised to see how much worse it's gotten. Who is responsible for that area? State working to
prevent rockfallsAnswer: That area is considered part of the highway and thus under the jurisdiction of the state Department of Transportation.
The department is working on a "Rockfall Protection" program, spearheaded by the materials testing laboratory, said Kelly Lee Sato, the Oahu District maintenance engineer. Sato's maintenance staff is compiling a record of its responses to rockfalls -- from small rocks to boulders -- that might be a hazard to motorists.
The state Legislature authorized funds -- about $200,000 -- for a survey and ranking of potential rockfall and landslide sites under the DOT's jurisdiction.
The DOT is in the process of determining the scope of work, with plans to hire a consultant in the fall to rate the sites on Oahu, said Gary C.P. Choy, material testing and research engineer.
Then, "with the limited funds we have available, we would at least address the more significant areas first," Choy said.
Pali Highway is definitely one area of concern, he said. Another is an overhang near Waimea Bay. But two areas -- at Makapuu and Waiawa -- won't be included because they already are in the "design phase" of improvements.
Possible corrective measures include laying fencing along slopes; placing a sandy cementlike finish atop the soil; removing loose rocks; or cutting back a slope, Choy said.
With current staff and funds, maintenance workers have had to be more reactive than proactive. "They're constantly out there cleaning up," Choy said.
Luckily, "we haven't had any major problems," he said. "If there are areas of immediate concern, we would put up signs and then try to take some immediate corrective measures, if need be. But, fortunately, we haven't had that. Hopefully, once this gets going, we will be able to take care of any potential areas before something happens."
Q: I was watching TV news one night and heard something about an automobile recall because of a fuel pump problem. But I haven't seen anything about it in the newspaper. Do you have any information?
A: We haven't heard of anything lately. But a good source for information on consumer issues is the U.S. government's consumer hot lines. The auto safety hot line is (800) 424-9393. You can obtain information about vehicle recalls, child safety seats, motorcycle helmets, traffic safety, etc., as well as report safety problems.
Check the government pages in the telephone directory (Page 4 in the Oahu directory), for that and other consumer hot line numbers.
Auwe
There was no street coning on the state and city holiday, Aug. 20, Admission Day. But there were not enough people who got off work that day to make a difference during rush hour. I was coming home from the Atkinson/Kapiolani area about 5 p.m., and it took me 15 minutes longer to get home because there was no coning. With the kind of gridlock we had, it might be worth paying the coning workers overtime and considering them essential workers, like police and fire. -- Marsha
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