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The Honolulu Advertiser
Posted on: Tuesday, December 28, 2004

City plans downtown sewer work in 2006

By James Gonser
Advertiser Urban Honolulu Writer

The city is planning to do six months of night sewer repair work on the Fort Street Mall and Hotel Street in 2006 and is seeking public comment on the project.

input sought

To comment on the Fort Street Mall sewer rehabilitation project, write to: City Department of Design & Construction, 650 S. King St., 14th Floor, Honolulu, HI 96813. Include copies for the consultant, The Limtiaco Consulting Group, and the state Office of Environmental Quality Control.

To see a copy of the report, call Jason Lau at 596-7790.

The deadline for public comment is Jan. 22.

The $739,500 project includes replacing 570 linear feet of 12-inch sewer lines along Fort Street Mall and repairing 465 linear feet of 8-inch sewers along Hotel Street. The proposed sewer line will address inadequate capacities, root intrusion and various structural deficiencies for improved sewer service, according to an environmental assessment report filed last week.

The city's draft environmental assessment for the sewer project has been filed with the state Office of Environmental Quality Control. Residents can provide written comments until Jan. 22.

Jason Lau of Limtiaco Consulting Group will give a presentation on the work at the Downtown Neighborhood Board meeting at 7 p.m. Jan. 6 in the Pauahi Recreation Center, 171 N. Pauahi St. in Chinatown.

Tim Steinberger, director of the city Department of Design and Construction, said the sewer lines in the area date to the 1890s. He said the new pipe is expected to last at least 30 to 50 years.

"It's an old pipe and has lost capacity," Steinberger said. "We need to address it before we have more overflows."

Steinberger said the work is being done at night because the mall is predominately a commercial area and night work will disrupt business less.

The only nearby residents are in the Executive Center, and noise level restrictions will be placed on the contractor to disturb residents as little as possible, he said.

Steel plate will be used to cover the trenches on the mall during the day to allow pedestrian access, with caution signs.

Downtown Neighborhood Board member Dolores Mollring said she supports the project.

"I don't like the noise, but if something has to be done, I can't see stopping it," Mollring said. "Especially sewers. I'd rather see the sewers working than back up. Chinatown's (infrastructure) is very old and has been neglected for a long time. If they feel there is a need, I say go for it. Do the work and get it done."

The proposed project is required by the "Small Diameter Sewer Rehabilitation Program" as part of a 1995 consent decree by the Environmental Protection Agency and the state Department of Health to eliminate wastewater spills, according to the assessment. The program includes rehabilitating sewer lines that require frequent maintenance.

Along Fort Street Mall, the city will dig an open-cut trench to replace the sewer lines. Along Hotel Street cured-in-place pipe lining will be used.

The cured-in-place process involves dragging or hydraulically pushing flexible pipelines into the old pipe from one manhole to another. The pipe is then filled with hot water which acts as a catalyst to harden the new fiberglass pipe in place.

Reach James Gonser at 535-2431 or jgonser@honoluluadvertiser.com.