King Street work will be timed to avoid conflicts with peak traffic
Add King Street to the list of major Honolulu roads that need to be avoided because of construction over the next year.Beginning Monday, the Honolulu Board of Water Supply will be fixing a 24-inch water main through much of the downtown section, and the city has decided to combine the work with resurfacing, new concrete bus lanes, curb ramps and related work.
The improvements are along two segments of King, between Liliha and River streets and Bethel and South streets.
City Managing Director Ben Lee said the work is scheduled to take a year, but he hopes it can be done more quickly.
To avoid conflicts with peak traffic, work will take place from 8:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. weekdays and from 7:30 p.m. to 4:30 a.m. weeknights. Noisier work will be done during the days, with nights reserved for asphalt resurfacing, Lee said.
During construction, as many as two of the four lanes through the downtown area from Liliha to South streets could be closed to traffic.
Lee said the project could not be delayed.
"All of our streets are like a car," he said. "They need work to keep running smoothly all the time."
The concrete bus lanes are designed to support the weight of buses that travel along King Street. The curb ramps are part of the city's efforts to comply with the Americans with Disabilities Act.
The work also needs to be done this year to ensure federal funds are available. Lee said 80 percent of the $4.5 million resurfacing, concrete bus lanes and curb ramp work is being paid for through federal sources.
The water-main project is scheduled to cost $2.4 million.
Hirono kicks off campaign with July 12 fund-raiser
Lt. Gov. Mazie Hirono starts her campaign for governor with a $50-per-person fund-raiser to be held July 12 at the Dole Cannery Ballroom.An official announcement of her candidacy is expected at a later date. Hirono's event was announced by Allicyn Hikida Tasaka, who took a leave of absence for her position as executive director of the Hawaii State Commission on the Status of Women to work on the Hirono campaign.
The other major Democratic candidate for governor, Mayor Jeremy Harris, has a fund-raiser planned for August.
Hawaii County to create videos on burial sites
HILO >> The Hawaii County Council wants to produce informational videotapes to help educate people about preserving ancient native Hawaiian burial sites.The Council adopted a resolution last week requesting the Office of Hawaiian Affairs pay part of the cost of the video about ancient graves and heiau, or Hawaiian shrines.
Ho'oulu Lahui, a native Hawaiian education group, and the state Historic Preservation Division are producing the three- to five-minute video.
National travel study will include state
The state Department of Transportation and the Oahu Metropolitan Planning Organization have teamed up with the U.S. Department of Transportation to conduct a National Household Travel Survey.The survey will be used to find out how people travel and evaluate their plans for the future. Three thousand surveys will be distributed statewide. Data collected will be used to update travel models.
For more information about the survey, visit the National Household Travel Survey Web site at www.bts.gov/nbts.
>> The total of campaign contributions to Mayor Jeremy Harris from city contractor Community Planning Inc. was $10,175, with $6,000 from the company and $4,175 from company officers. A chart that accompanied a Page 1 story Sunday had an incorrect total. Corrections and clarifications
The Honolulu Star-Bulletin strives to make its news report fair and accurate. If you have a question or comment about news coverage, call Publisher and Editor in Chief John Flanagan at 529-4748 or email him at jflanagan@starbulletin.com.
Police, Fire, Courts
By Star-Bulletin staffNEIGHBOR ISLANDS Honolulu Police Department Crimestoppers
Shark sighting closes beach in East Kauai
LIHUE >> The Kauai Fire Department closed Wailua County Beach Park on Kauai's east shore yesterday after the lifeguard on duty spotted a shark. The shark was 6 to 8 feet long, swimming about 15 to 25 yards offshore.NORTH SHORE
Man flees from his home to escape violent neighbor
A 25-year-old Waimea man told police he was punched and threatened with a large stick by his 32-year-old neighbor after a party.The neighbor was giving the man a ride home just after midnight Sunday when the neighbor punched him in the face, police said.
After the assault, the victim told police he went back to the party to catch another ride home. When he arrived, his neighbor was in the driveway carrying a stick and threatening to kill him, police said. When the man fled into his home, the neighbor forced his way in, swinging the stick at him, police said.
The man fled out of the back and called police.
HONOLULU
2 women jailed in use of stolen checks
An alert store manager helped police arrest an 18-year-old Ewa Beach woman and a 23-year-old Pearl City woman attempting to pass forged, stolen checks, police said.The two women used a stolen check to purchase cigarettes at the Foodland at 414 N. School St. about 9 p.m. Sunday night.
The manager discovered that the check was a forgery and notified the Foodland at 1505 Dillingham Blvd. to be on the lookout for the women. They were arrested after they attempted to use a check at the Dillingham store at 10:15 p.m. The checks are from a checkbook that was stolen from a vehicle Saturday, police said.
Man with Alzheimer's missing since Saturday
Honolulu police are looking for an 80-year-old man diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease who was last seen Saturday.Masayuki Kubo, a Kakaako resident, told his wife he was going for a walk and never returned.
He is described as 5 feet 7 inches tall, 165 pounds, with gray hair and brown eyes.
He was wearing blue jeans, a white shirt and white tennis shoes when last seen.
Anyone who comes in contact with Kubo is asked to call HPD's Missing Persons Detail at 529-3115 or 529-3395.
LEEWARD OAHU
Fire leaves 7 homeless
The Red Cross is helping seven people after a fire caused an estimated $95,000 damage to a Waianae home today.Four adult women, two teenage boys and an infant boy escaped without injury from the fire at 86-125 Puhano St.
The fire was reported at 12:26 a.m. Firefighters got the flames under control within 10 minutes but the fire had already damaged a bedroom, bathroom and kitchen in the three-bedroom home.
Woman accidentally shot
A 21-year-old Kapolei woman is in stable condition after her brother accidentally shot her in the hand and leg last night.Police said the woman's brother was cleaning a .22 caliber rifle in their Waaula Street home before 9 p.m. when the weapon accidentally discharged. The bullet went through the woman's left hand and lodged in her left thigh.
