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Buried lines hold
up road project

Question: Why is Honowai Street in Waipahu still blocked off? It was blocked off going to Kunia during construction, but there has been no construction for more than three weeks. All the equipment is gone and there is just a pile of rocks. What's going on?

Answer: Nothing is going on with the Kunia Road Improvements Project, at least for now, because of an unexpected complication, according to the state Department of Transportation.

Transportation crews were forced to halt work in June on the project near the Kunia Road/Honowai Street intersection after finding undocumented communications lines beneath the work site.

The lines, which did not appear on any utility plans for the area, are to be inspected by Hawaiian Telcom to determine ownership and whether they can be relocated or removed entirely, a Department of Transportation spokesman said.

State workers will return to the project as soon as Hawaiian Telcom makes its determination.

However, the Department of Transportation doesn't know when that will happen so it's not known when the work will resume on the project to improve traffic flow in the area.

The project involves widening sections of Kunia Road, adding dedicated right-turn lanes onto connecting roads and constructing sidewalks to be compliant with the Americans with Disabilities Act.

Q: When I had a problem with an attorney, I contacted the Office of Disciplinary Counsel for relief. They helped me get the dispute resolved in no time. Now I have a dispute with a dentist. I contacted the Hawaii Dental Association, but they told me that they do not get involved with patient-dentist disputes. Is there a place that I can contact to get some relief for alleged poor quality of dental work? Maybe a peer review panel or something? It is strange that the legal profession can help, but the dental profession seems to have no way of resolving disputes.

A: Contact the state Regulated Industries Complaints Office, which is part of the Department of Commerce and Consumer Affairs.

RICO is charged with investigating complaints and "prosecuting, if necessary," a representative of the state Board of Dental Examiners said.

He explained that the board is the licensing authority for dentists and dental hygienists and gets involved "if any sanctions have to be imposed."

The investigative procedure would involve an administrative hearing, after which a hearings officer would issue "findings of fact" and a "recommended order," which would then be presented to the board for final determination.

You are advised to contact RICO at 586-2653.

You can find information about RICO by going to its Web site at www.hawaii.gov/dcca/areas/rico/.

Among other things, RICO is responsible for enforcing the licensing laws for 45 different professions and vocations, from accountancy and boxing, to real estate and veterinary.

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