Nimitz to be repaved

The $3.6 million project starts
Sunday and is expected
to last for six months

State contractors will soon start resurfacing a rough 2-mile stretch of Nimitz Highway with an asphalt mix made to last a long time.

First phase to start Sunday Work on resurfacing Nimitz Highway between the Keehi Interchange (H-1 Airport Viaduct) and Sumner Street is expected to start Sunday, weather permitting. Work on the 2-mile stretch is expected to be completed in October. Resurfacing will start on the Ewa-bound lanes at the intersection of Nimitz Highway and Waiakamilo Road toward the airport viaduct. Work will take place from 9 p.m. to 4 a.m. Sundays through Thursdays.

"We're expecting a longer life (for the asphalt) so we don't deal with potholes on Nimitz," said Rod Haraga, director of the state Department of Transportation, at a news conference yesterday.

On Sunday, workers from Grace Pacific Corp. will start the first phase of the resurfacing project between the H-1 Airport Viaduct and Sumner Street.

The $3.6 million project is expected to be completed in October.

The project is split into two phases. Contractors in the first phase will resurface Nimitz Highway between Waiakamilo Road and the H-1 Airport Viaduct. Work starts on the Ewa-bound lanes of the highway Sunday. Work is scheduled for between 9 p.m. and 4 a.m. Sundays through Thursdays.

Contractors in the second phase will resurface the highway between Waiakamilo Road and Sumner Street.

Haraga said contractors will use an asphalt mix called "Superpave," the same that was used to resurface Moanalua Freeway.

The mix is described to be more of a hardened asphalt resulting in a smoother surface. Haraga said the mix is expected to last 10 to 13 years.

Certain sections of Nimitz Highway were last resurfaced in 1990, according to Scott Ishikawa, Department of Transportation spokesman.

"This is probably one of the worst roads on the island," he said. "It is in need of a face lift."

Haraga said two inches of asphalt will be removed from the surface to prepare for the new layer of asphalt. Six inches of asphalt will be used in damaged areas such as the Ewa-bound lanes on Nimitz Highway near Watanabe Florist, where heavy ponding occurs during rainy weather.

The bump at the Airport Viaduct that feels like a short roller-coaster ride for motorists heading Ewa-bound is also going to be leveled out by contractors for safety reasons.

Ishikawa said the asphalt and concrete in the bumpy area might have shifted over the years, causing the bump on the road.

About 75,000 motorists use Nimitz Highway daily.

The Department of Transportation already resurfaced Nimitz Highway between Queen and Sumner streets as part of a $16 million joint improvement project between the state and the Honolulu Board of Water Supply.

---

---