DOT budgets $77 million for bridges

By Mike Leidemann
Advertiser Transportation Writer

The state wants to spend $77 million in the next two years to replace or upgrade nearly a dozen aging rural bridges, including five along O'ahu's Windward coast.

"The priorities are based in part on imminent need and in part because federal money is available for bridge replacements right now," said Glenn Yasui, head of the department's Highways Division.

All the bridges are more than 50 years old; the oldest ones were built 80 years ago in 1923. They all cross streams that are sometimes subject to flash flooding, and most do not meet highway standards for crash strength, width, weight or seismic loads.

Even with the expected repairs, Hawai'i's bridges will still need a lot of attention, officials said.

A 1999 survey by the Federal Highway Administration found that more than half of Hawai'i bridges had problems. Thirty-five percent of the state's 1,150 bridges were considered "functionally obsolete'; another 16 percent were called "structurally deficient."

Nationwide, the number of deficient or obsolete bridges averages about 29 percent.

Officials say none of the bridges is in danger of collapse, but safety could be improved with better design.

"We have a very long list of bridges that need upgrades and we're constantly updating our replacement inventory needs," Yasui said.

Delaying work on the projects could compromise the safety of thousands of motorists who use them every day as well as increase annual maintenance costs for the department, he said.

The most pressing of the projects scheduled for the next two years calls for replacing a 58-year-old bridge in Punalu'u on O'ahu's Windward coast.

A new bridge would accommodate heavy trucks, include sidewalks and allow a much wider water opening for stream flow, reducing the chance of flooding. The work would cost about $7 million.

The oldest of the bridges slated for replacement is a narrow, unsafe 80-year-old structure that runs over a Ka'alaea Stream in Kahalu'u. Officials say it's used by more than 15,000 motorists every day. A new bridge would cost about $8 million.

The most expensive of the O'ahu projects would replace a 65-year-old concrete bridge over upper Poamoho Stream on Kamehameha Highway near Wahiawa. The state is asking for $2.27 million to design the new bridge but expects construction to be several years in the future.

Other O'ahu projects include:

• A new $3.3 million bridge over Waipilopilo Stream near Hau'ula Beach Park.
• Rehabilitation of a bridge over La'ieloa Stream near La'ie Point.
• Rehabilitation of the 67-year-old Kokololio Stream bridge between La'ie and Hau'ula.

The state also is planning a number of projects on Maui, Kaua'i and the Big Island, where there are many old, small bridges.

The most expensive of the projects on the Neighbor Islands calls for the replacement of a reinforced concrete girder bridge near Kapaia on Kaua'i. The Transportation Department wants $1.3 million for design work in 2005 and $7 million for construction.

Another project calls for replacing the 80-year-old, one-lane structure near Honolua Bay on Maui.

All told, the state wants to spend more than $33 million on Neighbor Island bridge projects in coming years. Construction would not begin on any of the Neighbor Island projects until at least 2006.

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