STAR-BULLETIN / 2003 Work on rockfall mitigation projects, which includes one aimed at protecting motorists along Komo Mai Drive in Pacific Palisades, could start as early as next spring. Here, Christopher Prendergast stands next to a fence that was smashed earlier by boulders that rolled down the hill along Komo Mai Drive.

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State focuses on
rock risks

Public comment is sought for
projects to ward off chances
of potential rockfalls

As plans for two rockfall mitigation projects on Oahu are under way, state officials are inviting the public to alert them to other potential rockfall hazards.

"There's no official survey, but when dangers are brought to our attention ... we can determine whether or not additional review is needed," said Morris Atta, special-projects coordinator for the state Department of Land and Natural Resources' Land Division.

He said there has been discussion of generating a state- or islandwide assessment of rockfall hazards, but such a survey would likely cost millions.

"We don't have the resources to do it," Atta said. "It's just a really daunting task."

But he did say that DLNR is looking to tackle other rockfall hazards. For example, officials are looking to hire a consultant to analyze the risks to homes of rockfalls along Round Top Drive in Makiki.

Work on two rockfall mitigation projects -- one aimed at protecting motorists along Komo Mai Drive in Pacific Palisades and the other to stop rocks from falling on homes in Nuuanu -- could start as early as next spring. About $4.3 million has already been allocated to cover the estimated costs of both projects, which are expected to take five to six months to complete.

The project set for Pacific Palisades involves securing a rock face along a portion of Komo Mai Drive.

Atta said the project involves several elements, including the installation of a chain-link fence along the road and wire mesh and cable netting -- like that used to cover a slope at Lalea in Hawaii Kai -- over the hillside to catch falling rocks.

A "catchment fence" will also run along the top of the netting "to initially catch any hazards," Atta said.

If you notice a potential hazard To notify the state of a potential rockfall hazard, call the DLNR's Land Division at 587-0433 or e-mail the office at dlnr.land@hawaii.gov.

One of the prime concerns for residents who commented on the project was not only the safety of the roadway, but the look of the hillside after the work was complete.

"We've all seen some of those mitigation projects where the resulting landscape looks pretty ugly," he said. "But all of it (the Komo Mai work) is being designed to create as little a visual distraction as possible."

Albert Fukushima, chairman of the Pearl City Neighborhood Board, said the rockfall project is vital because Komo Mai Drive is, for some, the only way in and out of the neighborhood. "They really need to have that road open," he said.

The state's second rockfall mitigation project, above Rooke Avenue at the old Puunui quarry site, is aimed at protecting at least two homes "that are directly in the line of danger" and other nearby homes that could also be affected by falling boulders, Atta said. He said the project includes securing a number of boulders on the hillside and putting in a 10-foot-high fence to act as a buffer between rocks and homes.

Atta said bidders for both projects will likely be selected by the end of the year.