CRAIG T. KOJIMA / CKOJIMA@STARBULLETIN.COM
Cameraman Christopher Kapik stood atop fencing used to hold boulders onto the cliff yesterday as he looked over Makapuu Beach and Sea Life Park. The state estimates that Makapuu Point, which ranks as the most high-risk area for rockfalls, will need as much as $17 million more in safety work.
State prioritizes Oahu’s
drive into the danger zoneOfficials hope that federal funds can help
pay for safeguards to make roadways saferCosts of safety
CORRECTION
Monday, May 19, 2003» Cameraman Christopher Skapik was videotaping scenes while standing atop the wire mesh rockfall prevention system on the cliff overlooking Makapuu Beach Park. In a Saturday photo caption on Page A3, his last name was misspelled.
The Honolulu Star-Bulletin strives to make its news report fair and accurate. If you have a question or comment about news coverage, call Editor Frank Bridgewater at 529-4791 or email him at corrections@starbulletin.com.The state's list of high-risk areas for rockfalls include some of Oahu's busiest commuter routes and the state estimates it will take hundreds of millions of dollars to address the problem.
Yesterday, the state Department of Transportation unveiled a rockfall-hazard study of 420 sites along state highways that showed 117 of those sites had a high or moderate likelihood of a landslide.
The Kalanianaole Highway has the highest number of high-risk sites of any state roadway, the study said. Second is the Pali Highway with 12 and third is the H-1 freeway with 10 high-risk sites.
For maximum number of high-danger spots in the fewest miles, the Pali Highway is the leader, with six in a mile-and-a-half stretch between Castle Junction and Kailua town.
The report estimates the cost to make just the top 10 Oahu sites safer at $89.5 million.
Transportation Director Rod Haraga said that identifying and prioritizing the potential danger spots gives the Transportation Department a starting place for reducing the risk to motorists.
Makapuu Point, which ranks as the most hazardous spot, has had $1.5 million of safety work, but as much as $17 million more is needed.
It's followed by Kamehameha Highway at Waimea Bay, where a major slide closed the highway for two weeks in March 2002 and prompted the rockfall study. About $8.4 million in additional work is needed there.
The state will vigorously pursue federal highway funding to help cover the cost of mitigation work, Haraga said.
He noted that President Bush has proposed to Congress that Hawaii get $905 million in federal highway funds over the next six years. That would be half a percent of the $180 billion proposed national total.
"We're serious about this. We know about the problem and this is our priority," Haraga said, adding he hopes that work on the top 10 sites can be completed within a decade.
Haraga pledged that the department would use $1 million a year for design work on the most significant hazards, starting with the top three.
In scheduling the work, Haraga said, "we're going to make it so we're not inconveniencing the public."
He noted that the work may not be done precisely from high to low priorities. For example, if funds are limited, the state may choose to solve several smaller problems for the same cost as one big project.
Now that a database has been designed and used on Oahu, doing assessments in the rest of the state should be faster and cheaper, Haraga said. He said he hopes to advertise for consultants to do the work by the end of the year, but isn't sure yet whether the neighbor islands will be handled one at a time or simultaneously.
The just-completed Makapuu work looks like a giant hairnet over the hillside that keeps all but the smallest rocks from crashing onto the highway below. It is scarcely noticeable when driving by and gets decent marks for appearance from most Waimanalo residents.
"It's user-friendly, it's eye-appealing and it doesn't spoil the original looks of the mountain outcrop," said Andrew Jamilla, a member of the Waimanalo Neighborhood Board.
State Department of Transportation
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Costly rocks
Here is the state’s list of the top 10 rockfall hazards sites and the estimated costs to make them safer.
Location Preliminary cost estimate Kalanianaole Highway at Makapuu $17,000,000 Kamehameha Highway near Waimea Bay $8,400,000 Kamehameha Highway near Kahuku $3,800,000 Pali Highway, Kailua bound, side of roadway past Castle Junction $4,300,000 Pali Highway, Kaneohe side of roadway at Castle Junction $6,000,000 Kamehameha Highway near Kipapa Gulch Bridge $18,500,000 Kamehameha Highway near Wahiawa $2,600,000 Pali Highway just before Kailua Town $4,800,000 Farrington Highway before Yokohama Bay $20,000,000 Kamehameha Highway near Wahiawa $3,500,000 Source: Earth Tech Inc. study for the State Dept. of Transportation
