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The temporary road at Waimea
By Jaymes Song
is washed away but the state
vows to quickly rebuild
and Harold Morse
Star-BulletinThe state plans to build a dam before rebuilding the temporary road at Waimea Bay and will add a third drain tube to allow more water to flow under the rebuilt road.
The temporary road was washed out yesterday afternoon, leaving the North Shore community split again.
The dam, which will be put up when water levels retreat, will be removed once the temporary road is rebuilt, said Sam Callejo, Gov. Ben Cayetano's chief of staff. He said the additional drain tube will allow 50 percent more water to flow under the road.
Callejo, speaking at Waimea Beach Park this morning, said there will be round-the-clock construction that will take 24 to 36 hours. He had no cost estimates.
Callejo added: "We didn't build a temporary road to last 100 years."He also said the state is considering opening Kamehameha Highway for foot traffic.
Kazu Hayashida, the state transportation director, said he doesn't expect another downpour like yesterday's, but couldn't promise that the road wouldn't be washed out again.
"It's worthwhile to put it back," Hayashida said.
About 125 feet of the road is missing, and another 75 feet might have to be removed during the construction process, he said.
Rushing water and showers continued this morning, preventing construction crews from beginning repairs. But workers started moving tons of sand to where the road washed out It will be used eventually to fill the gully caused by runoff. Crews that were removing rocks from the mountainside nearby were reassigned to work on the roadway.
Cranes scooped up large pieces of the washed out roadway while a bulldozer pushed sand.Parts from the temporary road that were swept out to sea yesterday were washing ashore this morning.
The beach at Waimea Bay was closed as construction crews picked up the debris there and at other beaches on the North Shore.
Some area residents expressed helplessness and frustration this morning, fearing that any new temporary road would be washed away again.
Benjamin Viernes stood barefooted with his jeans rolled up, ready to cross the gushing river.
"What a struggle," said the 58-year-old employee of Turtle Bay Hilton. "This is something else."
Viernes, of Waialua, was among the dozens of people attempting to wade through the river. He was also among the 10 employees of the Turtle Bay Hilton that had trouble crossing.
The water in the river was three feet deep, which was about waist-high on many people. People who braved the river also had to deal with the 12-foot surf slamming onto the beach.
"No crossing the river, it's going too fast," shouted several lifeguards with bullhorns, "Move back. Come on, be sensible."
Senior citizens in dresses, teen-agers with skateboards, and even a woman carrying a television set on her head attempted to cross the river.
"Whatever it takes, just do it," said Viernes. "This (bypass road) was a big waste of money."
Viernes suggested constructing a bridge over nearby marshlands as a possible solution. He said it would "add something" to the area and make it a landmark.
Aaron Conway, of Shark's Cove, was one of the fastest to cross from the Sunset Beach side of the river to Haleiwa. He ran across the sand in ankle-deep water when a large wave rolled out. But his buddy and co-worker wasn't so lucky. His friend waited 20 minutes before he could cross.
The rain-swollen Waimea River flooded the Menehune connector road, which was shut down except for one lane at about 2 p.m. yesterday and totally closed at 3:30 p.m.
"It sucks," Katie Romo, 18, a Hawaii Pacific University student from downtown Honolulu, said yesterday. She and friends were denied a planned afternoon visit to the Pipeline area.
"It ruined my whole vacation," said Jennifer Mills, 18, of West Covina, Calif., on spring break from a beauty college there. "I wanted to go to Pipeline and see all the hot surfers."
Companions Sara Wilson and Gerusa Picoli, both 19 from Orange County, Calif., were likewise disappointed. "We were going to go down to the Pipeline, and we couldn't," Picoli said, waiting at a Haleiwa bus stop. "Now we have to go back to Honolulu."Paul Dunn, restaurant manager at Jameson's By the Sea, 62-540 Kamehameha Highway, Haleiwa, was outspoken.
"We'd like to have (Gov. Ben) Cayetano open the road (Kamehameha Highway) back up -- quit wasting his time and our money on this temporary road." A number of people who had dinner reservations were unable to get to Jameson's from Turtle Bay, he said, adding he wouldn't know how many until later.
"I've got employees living on the other side of the bay that can't get home," Dunn said. "With the weather and everything, it's not going to help."
Cindy Puha-Nichols, manager at Portofino Italian Restaurant in the North Shore Marketplace, hadn't yet noticed any impact by late afternoon yesterday.
"It's kind of too early to tell, but we did pretty good for lunch," she said. "I have three employees who can't go home, and then I have two on the other side who can't come to work. So they're not making any money if they can't come to work."
Officials decided to remove about 100 feet of the temporary road yesterday to provide an outlet for rising waters from Waimea Valley to relieve the threat of homes flooding.
Workers stood by with new materials and equipment to make repairs as soon as the high waters subsided. Water had flowed through two 36-inch culverts under the road, but the heavy volume of runoff overwhelmed their capacity.
The bypass road opened March 18, allowing Kamehameha Highway traffic to resume in the vicinity of a March 6 rockslide that closed a portion of the highway. Realignment of the highway to avoid rockslide danger is set to be complete by June 30.
