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Kokua Line
June Watanabe
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Roadwork still being done on Kamehameha
Question: It's been many months now that road construction has been finished on Kamehameha Highway from Castle Junction to Hawaiian Memorial Park, but the lower 25-mph speed limit signs for construction areas are still posted. When will the 35-mph speed limit be reinstated?
Answer: Probably not until the end of November, weather permitting.
We received a similar inquiry in September and were told then that workers needed to install ceramic markers ("dots") along the roadway, plus do other "wrap-up work."
The 25-mph signs were to remain posted because the area was still considered a construction zone.
Checking again with the state Department of Transportation, the word is that consistently rainy weather has delayed work.
"Restriping of the repaved stretch of highway ... has just been completed," transportation spokesman Scott Ishikawa told us earlier this week.
"Since the lane markers are attached to the ground with an adhesive, the road surface needed to be dry for the dots to stick properly," he said.
After that, the contractor needs to work on guardrails and repave shoulder areas. The projected completion date is by the end of November, "weather permitting, of course," Ishikawa said.
"For safety reasons, the lower speed limit signs will remain posted while the area continues as a construction zone and crews work on the road," he said.
Q: I see a lot of pickup trucks with a company name on them and commercial license plates, in which three numbers are first, followed by three letters. I also see many pickup trucks with a business name on the doors, but with passenger license plates -- three letters followed by three numbers. If a truck is used for a business, should they be required to be registered with commercial plates?
A: "If a truck is used for compensation or commercial purposes, it should be taxed at the higher commercial rates," said Dennis Kamimura, administrator of the city Motor Vehicle & Licensing Division.
Trucks registered to a company are taxed at the higher rate.
A truck with commercial signage and passenger plate is "more liable" to be cited for not having the proper plate under Section 249-13, Hawaii Revised Statutes, Kamimura said. The violation is a petty misdemeanor.
However, "we have found that the presence of signage on a truck does not necessarily mean that the truck is being used for compensation or commercial purposes," he said.
Auwe
There is a sign on the far left side of the H-1 freeway, heading Diamond Head, just as one comes to the Middle Street merge. The sign says "LANES NARROWS." This is a plural subject with a singular verb. This is poor English grammar. Please see if it can be changed to "LANES NARROW." -- Roberta Sullivan
We passed your observation onto the state Department of Transportation.
Got a question or complaint? Call 529-4773, fax 529-4750, or write to Kokua Line, Honolulu Star-Bulletin, 500 Ala Moana Blvd., No. 7-210, Honolulu 96813. As many as possible will be answered. E-mail to
kokualine@starbulletin.com.
See also: Useful phone numbers