Kapiolani due for
long, loud work

Residents and business owners along Kapiolani Boulevard are worried that nearly 21 months of night work on a water and sewer project will drive away business and create too much noise.

"Last year, construction on an emergency main caused reduced access to our establishment and we suffered a 30 percent decrease in business during that two-month period," Ty Im, a manager of Club Femme Nu on Kapiolani Boulevard, said at a public information meeting at McKinley High School last night. "The bulk of our business comes at night, so work during that time affects us."

To speed up the process and lessen the inconvenience to motorists, the city asked the state for a noise code variance allowing work to be done at night as well as during the daytime. However, officials could not give an exact estimate of the reduced amount of time.

"We are doing our best to minimize inconveniences," Howard Tanaka, a Board of Water Supply civil engineer, said.

Officials promised to cease work during peak traffic hours, keep the noise level at night to a minimum and provide a Web site and telephone hot line to maintain open communication with the public.

"Most residents are concerned about the noise," Marilyn Michaels, a resident of a condominium on Atkinson Drive, said. "However, after this presentation, I feel like they are making a genuine effort to work with the community."

Officials expect construction to disrupt traffic on Kapiolani, one of the busiest streets in Honolulu, between Ward Avenue and Kalakaua Avenue from January 2006 to October 2007, with a break from Nov. 20, 2006 to Jan. 2, 2007 to ease congestion because of holiday shopping. Construction also will affect portions of Kamakee Street, Atkinson Drive and Kalakaua Avenue.

Officials estimate it will cost about $22 million to install a new water main and rehabilitate an existing sewer line. The city will use open-trench construction to replace the existing water main and extend its life by about 80 years.

A new resin pipe will be installed inside a 36-inch sewer main that runs under the center of Kapiolani Boulevard to extend the life of the 82-year-old main for at least 50 more years.

The city says people with questions or concerns about the project should contact Lynn Kurashima of the Department of Design and Construction at 527-6707.