Second phase of Ka'u road restoration set

By Hugh Clark
Advertiser Big Island Bureau

PAHALA, Hawai'i — State highway officials are moving into the second of three stages of the restoration of the Hawai'i Belt Road in Ka'u.

A nine-mile stretch of the around-the-island highway was badly damaged during last November's devastating floods in East Hawai'i.

Hawaiian Dredging Construction Co. offered the low bid of $8.5 million to replace a bridge over Makakupu Stream, also known as Ford Crossing, and Ka'ala'ala Stream Bridge.

Work is to start this month and will include removing and widening pavement, constructing two concrete replacement bridges and approaches, excavating to create wider and deeper channels for runoff, stabilizing stream banks, replacing the existing roadway, and installing new guard rails.

The November flooding isolated the southern district of Ka'u for three weeks until a detour road restored access.

In June, the state opened the $6.3 million Keaiwa Bridge, north of Pahala under an accelerated 15-hour-a-day work schedule.

The final phase is to be the Pa'au'au Bridge near the entry to Pahala village. Bidding for the work has not been scheduled. Overall, the Ka'u road restoration projects have been estimated at $30 million.

Meanwhile, projects to clear streams in Hilo are continuing. Other flood-related projects include the bayfront soccer fields in downtown Hilo that are still shut down for environmental assessments.