Posted on: Wednesday, December 1, 2004

State delays roadwork till after holidays

By Eloise Aguiar
Advertiser Windward O'ahu Writer

KANE'OHE — With the winter holidays approaching and lots of traffic congestion anticipated, the state has decided to once again suspend road projects throughout O'ahu and delay some Windward construction until the new year.

Some 15 ongoing construction projects will take a hiatus from Dec. 16 to Jan. 1, said Scott Ishikawa, Department of Transportation spokesman. The DOT will postpone the projects to keep roads clear during the season when people are on the road the most, Ishikawa said.

In Windward O'ahu, several projects that required lane closures that had been expected to begin this month were also delayed.

A $2.58 million Kahekili Highway beautification project won't begin until the middle of next year because of design changes that require moving electrical wiring and drainage from the center of the highway to the sides. The state will have to request more money for the project, Ishikawa said.

A $2.6 million Kahekili streetlight replacement project, which stalled because existing utilities were in the way, will restart after New Year's, Ishikawa said.

Finally a demonstration roundabout project for the intersection at Kahekili and Kamehameha highways, which had been slated for October, will begin in the spring, he said. The state will ask for contractors' bids in January, with a completion date by summer, Ishikawa said.

The project required full public awareness, and the state did not want to schedule work during the holidays when people are most busy, Ishikawa said, adding that the department recently received the $350,000 to pay for the project.

"We decided that starting construction in the middle of the holiday season and trying to hold community meetings to educate the public about this roundabout is not a good idea," he said. "We want to make sure we're doing everything to make it work."

Reach Eloise Aguiar at eaguiar@honoluluadvertiser.com. or 234-5266.