$2 million
slated for road
fixes after rainCity officials hope to speed up
major maintenance projects
City officials have set aside $2 million for emergency repairs to streets damaged by recent heavy rains and hope to speed up major maintenance projects on damaged roads.
City crews will continue to fill in potholes, but most of the poor road conditions that motorists have been complaining about require resurfacing the roadway, said Ben Lee, city managing director.
"Certain areas, they're just not potholes, they're just basically surface peeling or rippling of the street," Lee said yesterday. "The problem with leaving these streets as it is or patching it is, the next heavy rain, it just won't last very long."
Surface peeling occurs when rain loosens the top layer of asphalt, Lee said. But rippling is caused by heavy use, especially by stop-and-go traffic of heavy vehicles like buses, he said.
The city will identify which streets need resurfacing and ask contractors to bid on the jobs.
In their bids, the contractors will be asked to recommend whether the fix involves removing the existing surface first or just adding a new layer of asphalt. Lee said the city hopes to have contractors on the job by Monday.
The city will focus first on heavily traveled roadways between Liliha and Waikiki. They include Beretania, Alakea, King, Piikoi, Pensacola and Keeaumoku streets; Kapiolani and Ala Wai boulevards; and Kalakaua, Kuhio, Kapahulu and Paki avenues.
If the expedited contracting works for these streets and contractors can complete the jobs quickly, the city will do the same for other parts of Oahu, Lee said.
In addition, city officials are asking the state to speed up the processing of permits for major road maintenance projects already awarded to contractors on King, Queen, Punchbowl and McCully streets, Dillingham Boulevard and Iolani Avenue.
City officials are also asking the state for permission to do the work at night. Otherwise, the city will instruct the contractors to do the jobs during nonpeak traffic times, Lee said.
The city is getting money for the emergency work from its capital improvement budget for road maintenance. Out of $30 million budgeted for road maintenance, the city has $2 million set aside for contingencies and emergencies, according to Lee.
The public can ask Mayor Jeremy Harris about potholes and this emergency repair plan when he appears on Public Access cable channel 54 tomorrow. People with questions or comments can call 547-7840 from 7 to 8 p.m.
To report a pothole, call the city's pothole hot line at 527-6006 or the state's Pothole Puka Patrol at 536-PUKA (7852).