By Tino Ramirez
Advertiser North Shore Bureau
SUNSET BEACH — The Honolulu Board of Water Supply has shaved about one year off the time it plans to work on water main projects along Kamehameha Highway between Kawailoa and Waiale‘e.
The work should be finished in May 2003 rather than in spring 2004. The rescheduling of the projects is in response to community concerns about the length of time crews will be on the highway and lane closures that delay traffic, said Mike Fuke of the Board of Water Supply.
Two projects now under way in Waiale‘e, north of Sunset Beach, and in Kawailoa, south of Waimea Bay, should be completed in April, he said. The third project, which goes from P¬p¬kea to Sunset Beach, will start in August and take a year. The final projects are on either end of the third and are slated to start concurrently in June 2002, he said.
"Our intent here is to force the contractor to put two crews on the job, something they normally do not do," said Fuke. "Because of the concerns, we’re going to have the contractor do it in a timely manner."
While North Shore Neighborhood Board member Larry McElheny commended the Board of Water Supply for trying to speed up the work to address community concerns, fellow member Ken Newfield was disappointed.
Newfield wanted the projects to be consolidated and awarded to a contractor that could do the work faster. He is concerned that having two separate work crews going at once may create a greater inconvenience for motorists.
"Does that mean that on certain days that they’re going to have two separate lane closures?" Newfield asked. "The degree of inconvenience is almost exacerbated because people will have to wait in two places on the highway."
Although it has been suggested that the work be done at night when there is less traffic, other complications would be created, said Fuke. Costs jump about 20 percent, the noise will affect many residents who live near the highway and it creates more dangers for workers, he said.
"We know that when we go on (Kamehameha), there are going to be traffic impacts, so please be patient with us," said Fuke.
The work is part of some $9 million in Board of Water Supply projects set for the North Shore. Those now under way are to replace water mains that are about 50 years old and prone to breaking. The other projects on Kamehameha are required to improve water delivery.
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