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By Ken Ige, Star-Bulletin
Waimea lifeguards stand ready to assist as a wave's surge flows
across the walkway and temporary road under construction
around noon today. One large set of waves had earlier taken out
the underlying plastic at the center of the walkway and pushed
road workers back to only the Kahuku side of the temporary
roadway. A rising swell and tide this afternoon don't
bode well for the new road.

Wave knocks out
walkway, temporary
road at Waimea

An intense late winter storm
is creating high surf along
Oahu's North Shore

Rock slide expenses mount

By Gregg Kakesako
Star-Bulletin

A large wave washed across the beach at Waimea Bay today, taking out part of the makeshift road that's being built and wiping out the entire center portion of the pedestrian walkway.

However, work on the temporary road continued on the Kahuku-side of the bay.

Fearing high surf, state construction crews stepped up round-the-clock work on the bypass road, with continued hopes of completing it by Friday afternoon.

Around-the-island traffic on Oahu's only thoroughfare in the area -- Kamehameha Highway -- was abruptly cut off March 6 by an early morning rockslide.

An intense late winter storm was expected to raise the surf to 12-15 feet along the north shores of Kauai and Oahu late this afternoon.

Marilyn Kali, state Transportation Department spokeswoman, said the storm surge along with today's high tide around 6 p.m., will be the first crucial test for road crews.

Transportation Director Kazu Hayashida said work on the two-lane bypass road fronting Waimea Bay will have to be stopped if tonight's storm surges threaten the construction site.

By Ken Ige, Star-Bulletin
Waves started approaching the Waimea Bay walkway
this morning.

Although workers ran into some problems yesterday, he predicted that at least 400 feet of the road will have been completed this afternoon.

The work involves placing a layer of 30-foot-wide plastic geotextile fabric on the sand. Two inches of sand is then poured into the honeycomb foundation. Another layer of the fabric is then laid, and again filled with sand. This is all topped with a layer of crushed rock.

Hayashida said another bank of lights will be brought in to illuminate the construction site at night, because he wants work to continue 24-hours-a-day, if necessary.

The temporary road will be open only to passenger cars, vans, pick-up trucks and motorcycles. Parking may be restricted in the area once the road is open.

Hayashida said he didn't expect the contractor to begin blasting or do any other excavation work until Monday.

Several unexpected problems have delayed the project, Hayashida said.

The military didn't have the materials the state needed to build a temporary road and the contractor had no experience in building a road on the beach, he said.

Workers have strict instructions to stop work on the cliffs "if they see anything unusual," he said

The Rev. Samuel M. Saffery, Jr., minister of Liliuokalani Protestant Church in Haleiwa, said the cliffs along the highway and in Pupukea, overlooking Waimea Bay, were used for burials. "Hawaiians used the pukas up there and put the bones in the caves and then sealed the caves," he said, during a 15-minute prayer and sermon ceremony today.

In blessing the construction site, Saffery asked for God's help as workers "reconstruct, restore and repair the damage that has been done to the ala nui ... and as the government tries to resolve the pilikia that has happened here."

---

Rock-slide
expenses piling up

Extra police are adding to the
clean-up and other costs at Waimea Bay

By Suzanne Tswei
Star-Bulletin

State officials do not have a cost estimate for the rock removal, bypass road and other construction work associated with the rock slide above Waimea Bay.

Marilyn Kali, Transportation Department spokeswoman, said the state has a "cost plus" contract with Kiewit Pacific, which will be reimbursed for labor, equipment, material plus 20 percent to cover overhead and profit.

Wahiawa police Maj. William Gulledge said he has dipped into his overtime budget to keep watch at the rock-slide area with extra uniformed and plainclothes police officers.

No figures are yet available but police are keeping track of the extra costs, he said.

"This is an unplanned event. We are using some overtime to deal with the situation, but we are still within our budget," Gulledge said.

In addition to the usual two uniformed officers who patrol the area, five uniformed officers and one sergeant on special duty are posted in the rock slide area 24 hours a day, Gulledge said.

The special duty crew is drawn from officers who volunteer outside normal duties.

The special duty officers are paid by the state Transportation Department.

However, when not enough officers volunteer for the special duty, Gulledge said he needs to use officers who are on regular duty to fill the posts.

"We cannot let these posts go unfilled because it's critical that we keep the officers there for traffic and public-safety reasons," Gulledge said.

Police beefed up plainclothes officers patrolling the area in anticipation of increased thefts and car break-ins. But Gulledge said police have not seen an increase in these incidents.

"We were expecting the criminal elements to take advantage of the situation. We are focusing on the beaches and the highway, but things are going fairly smoothly," Gulledge said.

Gulledge said officers have been instructed to relax the parking rules in the area.

Vehicles will be towed only if they create a traffic hazard, block emergency rescue access or construction equipment parking.

Motorists who park along Kamehameha Highway, which normally is a no-parking zone, must make sure their vehicles remain behind the white line to leave enough room for buses and other large vehicles to get through, Gulledge said.

Anyone with questions may call Gulledge at 621-8442 from 7:45 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. weekdays.