Verizon expects to
complete Hawaii Kai
phone repairs today

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By Nelson Daranciang
Star-Bulletin

Verizon Hawaii officials expected to restore telephone service to all customers in Hawaii Kai by this morning.

Repair crews worked through the night to get the last 700 customers who were still without service as of 4 p.m. yesterday back on line.

"It's very painstaking," said Brian Blevins, Verizon Hawaii spokesman. He said repair crews were restoring lines for about 75 customers per hour.

Blevins says the phone bank at the Oahu Club at 6800 Hawaii Kai Dr. will remain open till noon today, just in case. But the former Phone Mart at the Hawaii Kai Shopping Center will be closed because usage had been low, he said.

An estimated 3,500 Verizon Hawaii customers in the Hahaione Valley and Hawaii Kai Drive area lost service Thursday when a building contractor accidentally cut through two sections of underground cable.

Foundations International had been drilling holes to hold dust shields for the upcoming construction of a senior housing complex near Hawaii Kai Drive and Wailua Street, makai of the post office.

Verizon handed out cellular telephones, set up the phone banks and forwarded calls to cell telephones for about 500 customers who requested it.

Blevins said customers will get credit for the time they were without service, and they will not be charged for the call forwarding.

However, he said Verizon will not accept claims for cellular air time.

"Call forwarding was done at their request," he said.