City, state pothole patchers scour island
By Mike Gordon
Advertiser Staff Writer
Honolulu officials sent out extra repair crews yesterday to search for potholes left behind after the weekend's torrential rains.
Rebecca Breyer • The Honolulu Advertiser
Although road conditions yesterday morning were not as bad as after January's punishing storms, two crews were sent out in Honolulu, said Larry Leopardi, director of city's Department of Road Maintenance.
City worker Cody Ka'upu patches a pothole on Oneawa Street in Kailua. A city official said crews filled 18,000 potholes in January.
On any given day, the city might not even have a single crew making repairs, he said.
"I don't have a number count," Leopardi said. "I know we have more. Any time you have a lot of rain, it will pull out asphalt and create a bigger pothole."
Drivers should brace for impact: Even without more rain, additional potholes will likely appear, Leopardi said.
"As the traffic drives over an area, it has a tendency to pump it," he said. "It may take a few days for a pothole to appear."
And some might be too shallow to patch.
"It may feel like one," he said. "You know, those bone-jarring holes. But it's a peel off."
To report a pothole on a city street, call 527-6006, or 536-7852 if it is on a freeway or state highway.
Don't worry, though. Leopardi said his crews will also get to those.
Hot lines
City spokeswoman Carol Costa said city crews filled 10,000 potholes in December and 18,000 in January.
In addition, the city earlier this year embarked on an emergency program to repave a number of badly damaged streets in urban Honolulu, she said.
Having completed work on portions of Beretania Street, Kapi'olani Boulevard, Kalakaua Avenue and Young Street, crews today were set to begin working on Kaheka Street, Costa said.
"The repaving really made a difference. Those roads really seem to have held up well after (last) weekend's rains," she said.
State crews were being dispatched to Nimitz Highway, Pali Highway and parts of Kamehameha Highway from Makalapa to Waipahu to fill newly opened potholes, a state Transportation Department spokesman said.
Meanwhile, city crews also were checking on drainage ditches yesterday to make sure they were free of debris.
It turns out that's one way to cut down on potholes.
When streams and ditches overflow, the water ends up on roads, Leopardi said.
Three crews were also roaming Honolulu yesterday.
"They have to be cleaned out," he said. "If we can't keep the water flowing, it will create more potholes and ponding on the road."
Advertiser staff writer Mike Leidemann contributed to this report. Reach Mike Gordon at mgordon@honoluluadvertiser.com or 525-8012.
