Pali hillside repairs estimated at $14 million

By Mike Leidemann
Advertiser Transportation Writer

The state plans to spend $14 million to scrape tons of dirt off a dangerous hillside at the foot of Pali Highway at Castle Junction.

Work will begin in November to scrape 24,000 truckloads of dirt off a dangerous hillside at the foot of Pali Highway. The proposed project, above, will transform the steep hillside into a gently terraced slope. DOT photo and photo illustration

"We could have taken a Band-Aid approach, but we prefer to fix it for good," said Transportation Director Rod Haraga. "We can do it safely, and we know this will work."

The project will use emergency highway money approved by Gov. Linda Lingle to cut back the slope, the site of several landslides earlier this year.

The work will include hauling away about 240,000 cubic yards of dirt — 24,000 truck loads — and transforming the nearly vertical hillside into a gently terraced slope, similar to ones seen along the windward side of the H-3 Freeway.

The state is considering selling some of the removed dirt to offset the cost of the project, Haraga said.

The work also will lengthen the existing 12-foot-wide lane for vehicles turning toward Kane'ohe, and add an 8-foot shoulder and a 6-foot gutter for drainage, Haraga said.

"Eventually, that will provide a safer, longer stack (of cars) for people waiting to turn," he said.

Part of the cost of the project will involve buying or condemning about six acres of privately owned land. The state says it has been meeting with the affected landowners, Hawai'i Pacific University and the Texeria Family Trust, to negotiate the purchase.

A breakdown on costs for the project has not been completed, but land acquisition will be a relatively small part of the final figure, Transportation Department spokesman Scott Ishikawa said.

"I'm sure someone somewhere along the line won't like the new look, but the majority of reasonable people will see the necessity for the improvement of turning a hazardous situation into a nice green hill," said Sen. Fred Hemmings, R-25th (Kailua-Waimanalo-Portlock). "Maybe later we can plant it with some beautiful kukui trees."

The work was prompted by a series of landslides in May and June, which forced the state to build a temporary wall along the hillside to keep debris away from motorists. Since that time a mauka-bound section of Kalaniana'ole Highway used for turns toward Kane'ohe has remained closed, causing some delays for town-bound motorists.

Although the work will include building a new access road to the top of the hillside to allow removal of the dirt, it's likely that one more lane of the highway could be closed at times during the construction, Haraga said.

The work will not be done during rush hours, and the state is considering a request by some Kailua residents to establish a contraflow lane along the highway to reduce congestion, he said.

"The community realizes that there's bound to be some inconvenience during the construction, but they're glad that this is going to be a long-term solution that solves the problem once and for all," Hemmings said.

Earlier in the year, a state report on rockfall dangers had identified the Castle Junction location as the fifth most dangerous spot on O'ahu.

In May, the state completed a $1.5 million project to protect motorists from falling rocks at Makapu'u Point, which was listed as the most dangerous spot on O'ahu.

The Makapu'u project involved placing a wire-mesh screen over 19,400 square yards of hillside. That type of less-expensive fix would not have worked at Castle Junction because the soil is different and less rocky, officials said.

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