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Salt Lake Boulevard
work delayed

Question: Could you give an update on the completion of the present Salt Lake Boulevard widening project? The project has been going on for more than two years and is mostly complete, but hardly any work now seems to be going on. What is the expected completion date? Also, when is the next widening segment toward town scheduled to begin?

Answer: The projected end of the current Phase 2A, from Bougainville Drive to Maluna Street, is by the end of this month.

But it will be a few years before work on the final stretch -- from Maluna to Ala Lilikoi -- gets under way. Despite earlier expressed fears that the final phase would be put on hold indefinitely because of a lack of funds, it already is in the preliminary planning stage.

Most of the construction activity in the $20 million Phase 2A is over -- that's why it appears nothing is being done, said Marvin Char, chief of the Civil Division for the city Department of Design and Construction.

But there are still last-minute details to complete, such as moving existing traffic signals to new locations, removing old power poles, then constructing curb ramps, he said.

"We may look at opening the roadway after the poles are removed, but for safety (reasons) might keep it closed until we finish the ramps," he said.

Completion of Phase 2A has been delayed about one year because of "unforeseen conditions" encountered by workers.

For example, during the building of "detention basins" to control storm runoff, workers discovered sealed gas canisters, Char said. Because the contents were unknown at the time, they had to be treated as hazardous material and shipped away.

A number of other unexpected situations further forced changes to work orders and schedules, contributing to the delay, Char said.

Meanwhile, although planning for the final mile has begun, it's just the beginning of a long process.

"We first have to finish the planning effort, which is the environmental documentation," Char said. "We're looking at finishing that planning effort by the beginning of 2007."

Then, it's a matter of working with the Navy regarding easements through its property, and working with the community to define the scope of work, such as whether to continue putting utilities underground, he said.

Because of the length of the final segment -- about a mile -- the city is considering breaking it up into two or three phases instead of tackling it all at once.

Then, it has to figure out how much the project is going to cost and how to fund it. The final widening segment reportedly could cost as much as $65 million.

VIN Etching

The Honolulu Police Department told us Tuesday it had not scheduled its next free VIN (vehicle identification number) etching service ("Kokua Line," Aug. 3). However, it said yesterday that one is scheduled for 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. Aug. 13 in the Sears parking lot, Pearlridge Center.

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