Cliffside work starts
at Castle JunctionThe project aims to prevent
mudslides that disrupt traffic
Work to prevent landslides at Castle Junction began yesterday after months of delays, but won't disrupt traffic on Kalanianaole Highway for another week or two.
The project calls for hauling away 24,000 truckloads of dirt, which in terms of volume is the state Transportation Department's largest rockfall mitigation project, Director Rod Haraga said.
Windward motorists should brace themselves for slowdowns and heavier traffic during the 24-hour-a-day work every weekday through April 30. All work should be completed within six months.
"We're asking the motorists to be patient" and consider alternate routes, Haraga said.
Five truckloads of mud and dirt slid onto the highway from the cliffside May 20, closing one lane for three hours and prompting the department to seek emergency funds to scale the cliffside back to a 26-degree slope from an 80-degree slope.
Heavy rain in December and earlier this month washed down more mud and debris.
The state ran into difficulty negotiating an agreement with landowners Hawaii Pacific University and the Teixeira Family Trust to allow workers access to the property. The state condemned the property and gained ownership last week to the hillside and an access road, paying $97,500 for the land.
The state gave contractor Goodfellow Brothers the notice to proceed yesterday, and workers began preparing for a 5:30 to 6:45 a.m. townbound contraflow lane on Kalanianaole Highway to begin later this month. Hawaiian Electric Co. workers began relocating power lines at the top of the hillside yesterday.
The project includes widening the right lane that runs along the hillside to 12 feet and adding an 8-foot shoulder and a 6-foot drainage gutter.
The $7.8 million project is considerably less than the $15 million to $20 million projected cost because Goodfellow Brothers has sold dirt to Kaneohe Ranch and will haul most of it across the highway.
The rest of the soil will be disposed at Ocean Pointe development in Ewa and Hawaiian Cement's Halawa quarry. Most of the hauling will be done at night, while excavation will be during the day, Haraga said.
Some commuters said they were resigned to a traffic slowdown during the project.
"I'll mind it, but it's got to be done," said Kailua resident Dave Long,