Castle Junction work
will go 24 / 7
The company awarded the $20 million to $25 million contract to cut back the cliff above Castle Junction will work 24 hours a day, seven days a week to get the job done and will receive a bonus if the project is completed early, said state Transportation Director Rod Haraga.
The six- to eight-month project is the department's top priority and will be put out to bid next month, Haraga said yesterday. Construction should begin in late November or early December.
A mudslide on May 9 prompted the state to close the right-turn lane on the townbound Kalanianaole Highway at Castle Junction.
The state plans to carve away the cliff above the intersection and remove about 248,000 cubic yards of dirt -- about 24,000 truckloads -- to prevent further mudslides. The state hopes to sell the dirt for use as fill.
The project will cut the slope of the cliff to 26 degrees from 80 degrees. When the work is done, the right-turn lane will be longer and there will be a shoulder and gutter for drainage.
To ease traffic during construction, Haraga said, the state will operate a contraflow lane from Kapaa Quarry Road to Kamehameha Highway from 5:30 to 6:45 a.m.
Money for the project will come from a special state highway fund that Gov. Linda Lingle authorized after she signed an emergency proclamation to "reduce the danger of further landslides and rockfalls in the area," according to department officials.
