DOT to hear residents on Kalaniana'ole project

By Suzanne Roig
Advertiser East Honolulu Writer

The state Department of Transportation wants to know what residents think: night or day work for the last portion of the $6 million Kalaniana'ole Highway water-main project?

	Meeting tonight
•	What: Meeting to determine whether residents want Kalaniana'ole Highway roadwork done during the day or night.
•	When: 7 p.m. today
•	Where: Kalani High School cafeteria

Work began almost a year ago to replace water mains between West Hind Drive and 'Ainakoa Avenue. The project's water-main replacement phase, which is ending, has caused much less traffic congestion than residents initially anticipated.

"We've had no complaints about the roadwork," said Kali. Now the DOT wants to see how residents feel about the rest of the project.

"We're thinking it might be better to do it daytime because it will be noisy," Kali said. "It's an issue of noise vs. traffic. It's a preference; that's why we're asking the community."

If residents decide at a meeting tonight that they would prefer night work, crews would work from 8 p.m. to 4:30 a.m. Monday through Thursday compared with daytime hours of 8:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. Monday through Friday, Kali said.

Michael Melcher, who lives on Kalaniana'ole Highway, said he prefers night work. If it would be quicker and not cost any more, the state should do it, he said.

"I'd rather see that than the traffic," Melcher said. "We live with the noise already. We just zone it out."

Either way, crews will take a ¡-mile hunk of the road and repave it, starting with West Hind Drive and working westward on the townbound segment first, Kali said.

If the community chooses night work, crews will complete the trenching and water-main work before beginning the resurfacing. Re-paving would start in late March and be finished this summer, she said.

If the community decides to stick with daytime work, crews can work on the water mains and the resurfacing concurrently. However, because of traffic and other factors, the project would not be completed until September, still well ahead of the original November completion date.

The water-main replacement work was divided into two phases — the first portion beginning near Kalani High School and the second running from Kaimoku Street to West Hind Drive. Crews continue to work on guard-rails and wheelchair accesses on corners and at driveways as part of the roadwork, Kali said.

Reach Suzanne Roig at sroig@honoluluadvertiser.com or 395-8831.