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By George F. Lee, Star-Bulletin
Traffic in front of 2845 Round Top Drive near the
Tantalus lookout has been squeezed to one lane due
to closure of the outer lane after it was undermined
by nearby construction. Now both lanes will close.

Round Top to be
blocked for month
to shore up hillside

The city intends to collect
repair costs from the contractor
whose work caused the damage

---

By Gordon Y.K. Pang
Star-Bulletin

Round Top Drive will be blocked off for about a month due to major repairs, causing a traffic headache for area residents and other motorists.

City Managing Director Ben Lee said the road will be closed beginning Monday so that a reinforced concrete wall can be built to support the road along a hillside.

There are about 200 to 300 families who live beyond the cutoff area, but city officials say they are not sure how many will be affected, since many of the residents use the Tantalus Drive side to get home.

Residents were to be informed by letter over the weekend.

"For those who live on the downhill side, they will use Round Top," Lee said. "For those above the construction work, they will have to come from Tantalus. We apologize for the inconvenience, but we are going to do the repair work as quick as we can."

City officials say the road collapsed because excavation work done on a home just below the road caused the wall holding up the shoulder of the street to crumble.

Lee said yesterday that the city intends to collect the cost of the work from Jo Paul Rognstad, who is doing the work on the 2845 Round Top Drive site.

The collapse occurred about two weeks ago, leaving only one lane open to traffic.

Barricades and signs were put in place, and off-duty police officers have been on hand to help direct traffic. The officers have cost the city about $15,000 a week, a sum Lee also wants Rognstad to pick up.

Both sides of the road need to be shut down, he said, because of the equipment that needs to be placed there.

The contract for the project was awarded to Royal Contracting Co. for $347,800.

"They're going to go as fast as they can, but the concrete has to cure before they can backfill against the wall," Lee said. "And basically the concrete takes about 14 to 28 days to cure."

The collapsed section is in an area of Round Top Drive just before the so-called "Manoa Overlook" below Puu Ualakaa State Park.

The city has not yet talked to Rognstad, but Lee said city attorneys are ready to sue for the repairs.

Numerous city notices calling on Rognstad to stop the work have been issued since June, but to no avail, Lee said. A temporary restraining order -- barring Rognstad from further work -- has been granted, and the city is now seeking a permanent injunction.

Tantalus Drive resident John Steelquist said the homes just above the collapsed road will be most affected, including those who live near Puu Ualakaa Park.

"Ten minutes to get to work is now going to take 30 to 40 minutes to get to work," said Steelquist, also chairman of the Makiki/Lower Punchbowl/Tantalus Neighborhood Board.