Water-main break jams H-1

By Mike Gordon
Advertiser Staff Writer

It was probably the worst time and the worst place to have a 12-inch water-main break beneath the tires of commuter traffic: during morning rush-hour in downtown Honolulu, on School Street where H-1 Freeway and the Pali Highway intersect.

State workers clear the freeway of mud at H-1's School Street off-ramp. The water-main break yesterday on School Street caused traffic to back up for miles. Richard Ambo • The Honolulu Advertiser

Traffic on both sides of the freeway was backed up for miles and side streets around downtown Honolulu quickly reached capacity as commuters sought relief.

The break, on School Street just kokohead of the Pali Highway, sent water and mud cascading onto the 'ewabound side of the freeway, DeCosta said.

The Punchbowl on-ramp to 'ewabound lanes was closed, she said. Commuters from East Honolulu reported that cars were backed up all the way to the beginning of H-1 in Wai'alae.

Gawking commuters driving in the other direction on the freeway slowed traffic into town, however. DeCosta said cars were backed up to the airport area.

"This section, from Kalihi to the Punchbowl off-ramp is one of the most congested sections in the morning," DeCosta said.

"That is where the break occurred and so it exacerbated a congested situation," she said.

Commuters reported bumper-to-bumper traffic on Vineyard Boulevard, as well as traffic backups on Pensacola Street and Wilder Avenue and various other arteries.

"What we did was to try and alleviate that by diverting traffic from the freeway onto Vineyard before that spot," said police Lt. Jerry Inouye.

"That way we were hoping people could do down Vineyard and go up 'A'ala and go past the problem and enter the freeway again," Inouye said.

"But let's face it," he said, "traffic was messed up pretty bad."

Police briefly closed the right lane of the Pali Highway in the mauka direction when the gushing water was at its heaviest.

Repair crews were able to shut off the pipe at 6:56 a.m.

City bus drivers were also caught in the traffic problem, even though there is no route that goes by the location of the break, said Alvin Morimoto of the city's Department of Transportation Services.

"Buses are tied to the flow of traffic," he said. "It's one of those situations where the drivers' hands are tied. If the traffic gets messed up, our buses' schedule gets messed up. The drivers do the best they can."

DeCosta said repair crews discovered two ducts containing Hawaiian Electric Co. lines — one above and one below the broken water main. HECO crews were called to help and workers with jackhammers chipped away concrete along the ducts so water board crews could finish their job.

DeCosta said the water main was repaired and service restored by 7:40 p.m. last night. Repairs to the road surface were expected to be completed by midnight.

Water board crews also were called to 2369 Tantalus Drive to repair an 8-inch main that broke at 9:30 a.m., DeCosta said.