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The $4 million project will widen
the road, leave a rockfall buffer zone
and allow burial sites to
remain untouched

By Jaymes K. Song
Star-Bulletin

NORTH Shore residents and state transportation officials have about a week longer to hold their breath as the surf becomes less of a threat to wipe out the temporary bypass road at Waimea Beach Park.

"Each day that passes, the surf gets smaller," said meteorologist Roy Matsuda of the National Weather Service.

Referring to the state's proposed widening of Kamehameha Highway, Matsuda said: "They're starting at the right time of the year. The gods are with 'em."

State Transportation Director Kazu Hayashida yesterday announced the $4 million, -mile project.

"This is a real long-term fix," Hayashida said. "Now we've moved the road away from the rockfall and we feel that this is a safe alternative and will be there for a long time."

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Slip sliding at bay

Illustrations by David Swann, Star-Bulletin
To deal with the rockfall problem at Waimea Bay, the state plans
to build a $4 million stretch of Kamehameha Highway away from
the cliffside. A look at the quarter-mile-long road, expected to
be completed by the end of June: (Click the images for large view.)

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About 21 feet will be added to the roadway and will be held in place by a retaining wall.

Most of the old roadway will be an area for rocks to fall. A 10-foot fence with cable netting will be installed on the mauka side of the road to screen rocks and boulders from the two-lane highway.

"I think (the fence) should provide sufficient protection for people who use the roadway," Hayashida said.

The March 6 rockfall at Waimea Bay closed Kamehameha Highway, the only connection between Haleiwa and Sunset Beach.

The temporary roadway, which opened Saturday, will be the North Shore's lifeline until at least late June when the widening of Kamehameha Highway is expected to be completed.

Hayashida added the widening was the quickest and most affordable option. It also prevents the disruption of the four ancient burial caves unearthed on Friday by construction crews.

He said none of the burial sites will be touched and that only loose rocks will be removed to make the mountainside safe for construction workers.

ROCK DATA The North Shore rockslide by the numbers: 5 mph: The speed limit of the temporary bypass road 10 feet: The height of the proposed fence to catch falling rocks and boulders 12 days: How long residents had to endure without a roadway connecting Sunset Beach to Haleiwa 17 days: How long Kamehameha Highway has been closed 19 days: How much longer it will take before construction is expected to start on the widening of the highway 1,022 feet: The length of the temporary bypass road $3,000: How much it costs per day to have police officers and traffic control at the temporary bypass road 12,000: The average number of motorists per day who used to drive on Kamehameha Highway near Waimea Bay 15,000: The number of motorists who used the temporary bypass road Sunday $250,000: The cost to remove the temporary bypass road $500,000: The cost to install the temporary bypass road across Waimea Beach Park $4 million: The cost of widening the 1/4-mile stretch of Kamehameha Highway

Other options that were being studied were:

Cutting back the mountain face by 20 feet, which would cost $5 million and taken three to four months of construction time. It would also impact the burial sites.

Constructing an "avalanche shed" over the roadway to protect cars from falling rocks. This would have cost $5 million and taken five months of construction.

Building a bridge adjacent to the roadway. This would have cost $4 million to $7 million and taken at least four months.

Hayashida said several environmental agencies have agreed to the widening over other projects and that the ecological impact would be minimal. Meanwhile, it is costing $3,000 per day for the extra police officers and traffic control at the temporary road and at the roadblock.

Emergency relief funds are being sought by the Federal Highway Administration.

The state will be maintaining the temporary bypass road until the new roadway opens, Hayashida said.

Martin Okabe, Oahu highways district manager, said maintenance will be needed on the temporary bypass road on occasion, which will force closure for "a very short period of time."

Hayashida said the bypass road will sag from the day-to-day use, but it has been stable so far.