Repairs bring complaints Hana bridge made 'ugly'

Associated Press

WAILUKU, Hawai'i — The state Department of Transportation is considering some cosmetic work to soften the appearance of repairs made recently at Waikani Bridge on Maui's historic Hana Highway.

Members of the Maui County Cultural Resources Commission are upset at what they call ugly emergency repairs to shore up a collapsed section of the picturesque bridge, including a concrete roadbed with big curbs topped by a large concrete end post that abuts the old lava rock wall next to the bridge.

The new structure "has no aesthetic nor historic merit whatsoever," said commission member Dawn Duensing. "In addition, it blocks the view of the bridge as well as the stunning scenery."

Department of Transportation spokeswoman Marilyn Kali said the agency would consider softening the appearance of the guard rails and concrete if money can be found. The guard rails might be painted and have moss placed on them, and a rock veneer could be added, Kali said.

Duensing said neither the commission nor the State Historic Preservation Division were notified about the work on the highway, named one of America's 50 Millennium Legacy Trails in 1999, and recently added to Hawai'i's Register of Historic Places. The road also is a candidate for the National Register of Historic Places.

Kali said no consultation was required because the repairs were an emergency. "We needed to get a second lane going," she said.

But Duensing said the roadway collapse occurred some time ago.

"What suddenly made its repair without review an emergency project?" she said.