State adding incentives to speed freeway work

By Mike Leidemann
Advertiser Transportation Writer

When a $50 million widening of H-1 Freeway begins next year, the state wants its contractor to work at least 22 hours a day, seven days a week to minimize the time it takes to finish the job.

In addition, the state is planning to put provisions in its bidding process that will require the contractor to pay more money each time it closes a lane of traffic and receive a discount for each day it finishes ahead of schedule.

The moves are part of an ongoing push to minimize traffic delays caused by big construction projects, according to Glenn Yasui, the head of the Transportation Department's Highways division.

"We want to accelerate the work schedule wherever possible," Yasui said.

Plans to widen H-1 to six lanes in the westbound direction from Waimalu Viaduct to the Pearl City off-ramp are still in the design stage, but officials already are thinking of ways to minimize the impact the work will have on the estimated 220,000 vehicles that use the crowded roadway every day.

The requirements are meant to reduce congestion and driver complaints about highway construction, Yasui said.

"We welcome the changes," said Darrell Goo, Grace Pacific Corp. vice president for paving operations. "They'll force companies to be more efficient and give the innovative contractors a better shot at getting the job."

Goo said incentive clauses have been a rarity up to now, but "anything that helps us get the job over and done with quicker is good for everybody."

No contractor has been selected for the H-1 project, which is expected to start in April and last for 18 months. The new efforts to get the project completed quickly include:

• Work hours: The state is seeking a Health Department noise variance to allow construction work from 7 a.m. to 5 a.m. on weekdays and 24 hours on weekends. Actual construction work on the freeway could be limited to a small time, 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. weekdays, but the rest of the day could be used for associated work, such as site preparation, landscaping, truck positioning or other off-road work.

• A plus B bidding: Under this system, the contract includes a provision that rewards the company for each day that it comes in under schedule.

"It might be $500 or $1,000 a day, but either way it's a financial incentive for the contractor to make the process more efficient," Yasui said.

In the process, the low bidder is selected based on a combination of the traditional contract price for doing the work (A), plus a per-day cost for completing the project (B). The process allows a contractor confident in his ability to finish early or using innovative techniques to submit a total lower bid than his competitors, helping his chances of winning the job.

• Rent-a-lane: This provision charges a contractor for every hour a lane of the freeway is closed to conduct the work, creating a monetary incentive for the contractor to minimize closures. Sometimes a lane closure is necessary, but in other instances the contractor can find innovative ways to get the work done safely without the need to block freeway traffic.

"They've still got the right to close off traffic lanes when that's needed, but they'll have to pay to do it," Yasui said. Contracts could be awarded in the future to those who can keep lane closures to a minimum, again lowering the overall cost of a project.

When the state presented construction details of the project to residents of neighborhoods next to the freeway at a meeting last month, the reception was generally warm.

The neighbors, living in the Waiau Gardens and Waimalu Gardens subdivisions, were told that weekend and night construction would be confined to the freeway and ramp areas, and there would no pile driving during the construction. Pile driving largely has been replaced in Hawai'i with a hole-drilling process, which offers support for construction pillars, Yasui said.

Goo said many contractors prefer to work at night because their trucks can reach construction sites easier, traffic is lighter and conditions are generally safer.

"Everyone wins," he said. "We get our job done quicker and more efficiently with less complaints, and traffic doesn't back up on the highway getting everyone mad."

State officials also say they are planning several steps to keep traffic flowing during the H-1 work. All freeway lanes will remain open during rush hours and the zipper lane will stay operational throughout the work.

Reach Mike Leidemann at 525-5460 or mleidemann@honoluluadvertiser.com.