Ka Iwi work back on track
By Suzanne Roig
Advertiser East Honolulu Writer
A plan to remove utility poles and build two parking lots at Makapu'u lookout will have to be restarted four years after the state first tried to make the improvements.
The hang-up is a key city permit the state needs to proceed with work designed to make the area safer and improve the view.
The state had acquired all its permits as of 2001, but reaching an agreement with the city took more time than anticipated and the permits expired, said Dan Quinn, state parks administrator for the Department of Land and Natural Resources.
Today the state starts the permitting process again with a meeting at Waimanalo District Park to hear public comments on the improvements planned for Ka Iwi.
The area includes one of the last accessible stretches of open coastline on O'ahu. The state wants to remove utility poles, bury more utility lines and build two parking lots —Êone for the Makapu'u lookout and the other for people hiking to the lighthouse.
The state plans to hire RCI Contractors to do the work for $4.2 million. Once the city approves the permit, the state expects the project to take about 200 working days.
The city will hold a public hearing at 10:30 a.m. today at the Waimanalo District Park, 41-415 Hihimanu St., to hear testimony on the state's request for reapplication of a Special Management Area Use Permit for improvements at the Ka Iwi Scenic Shoreline area.
"This will be the final hurdle," Quinn said.
Public meeting
Under the plan, 12 utility poles in the area would be removed, and the cables would be placed underground. Several years ago the state did similar work near the curve on Kalaniana'ole Highway.
Also, two viewing platforms would be built farther east of the lookout for sightseers. The lookouts would be reached from the new parking lot, and walkways would be built to meet Americans with Disabilities Act requirements.
Lester Muraoka, Hawai'i Kai Neighborhood Board chairman, said the board had supported the construction of parking lots at the Ka Iwi Scenic Shoreline area, because cars parked on Kalaniana'ole Highway pose safety concerns.
The Ka Iwi plan, adopted in 1996, moved forward four years ago after the city purchased the Ka Iwi shoreline from Kamehameha Schools. But things stalled last year, and the Special Management Area Use permit granted by the city expired, Quinn said.
The work is part of a $5 million federal transportation grant to assist in the purchase. But the federal government required that the state make the scenic lookout by Makapu'u safer for visitors and clear the view plane by burying the utility lines.
Reach Suzanne Roig at 395-8831 or sroig@honoluluadvertiser.com.
