Dock workers to get new parking lot
By James Gonser
Advertiser Urban Honolulu Writer
Just before 7 a.m. Sept. 30, 1996, a 40-year-old man was killed when he was hit by a truck on Sand Island Parkway. The victim, a stevedore, had parked his car across the street from the state's container piers and was headed to work when the accident occurred.
That fatality helped spur a move to make access to the piers safer for dock workers, and the state now is spending $250,000 to build a new parking lot closer to the job site.
Container handling facilities move about 80 percent of all products shipped into the state, according to the state Department of Transportation, making them a critical lifeline for Island residents.
Eighty to 100 stevedores work to unload each container ship, which fully loaded can carry as much cargo as 239 Boeing 747 jumbo jets, said Brian Taylor, CSX Lines vice president and general manager.
When unloading is at its peak, a continuous line of trucks enters the facility, taking only 18 1/2 minutes each to unload an empty container, pick up a full one and get back on the road. With all the activity going on, safety concerns are paramount, Taylor said.
"We are focused on truckers getting in and out as quickly as possible," Taylor said. "With so much traffic and people moving heavy equipment in a confined space, we've got to do everything right."
Doing everything right begins with getting stevedores safely to work.
The parking lot project will include a new driveway access at the northeast corner of the CSX Lines container handling facility at Pier 51-A near the truck weight stations. The new 91-stall parking lot will be fenced and restricted to use by stevedores working at CSX.
The project was given the green light this week when the state Office of Environmental Quality Control issued a Findings of No Significant Impact on the Final Environmental Assessment filed by the DOT.
The work includes a 24-foot wide driveway and 5-foot-wide shoulder, a concrete curb, metal guardrails, chainlink fence and gate, drainage-pipe culvert, adjustment of a 16-inch waterline, signs and pavement marking and striping.
Construction is expected to begin next month.
According to the environmental assessment, if the parking situation is not improved container operations at the terminal could suffer.
"The existing parking and access to the terminal creates a dangerous environment for stevedore personnel when reporting to work," the assessment says.
Taylor said the new lot will take up a portion of his crowded 39-acre site, but having the workers park closer to the operation will also be more efficient. The new lot is an example of the state's proactive stance toward maintaining the container piers, he said.
"When there is a problem, they take care of it quickly," Taylor said. "If we want our economy to run and supply the basic staples we must have a solid marine transportation system."
State transportation spokeswoman Marilyn Kali did not return phone calls seeking comment.
Reach James Gonser at jgonser@honoluluadvertiser.com or 535-2431.
