Residents of the remote East Maui community of Kipahulu aren't letting concrete barriers on earthquake-damaged Paihi Bridge keep them from getting to jobs and school in Hana.

Many are simply walking across the one-lane bridge to waiting cars, even though county and federal emergency officials say the 95-year-old structure could collapse at any moment.

Structural engineers and geologists examined the concrete deck and girder bridge yesterday and took measurements to design an emergency structure to handle light vehicles. The 100 or so residents who met with county officials Thursday said they also want a pedestrian bridge built as soon as possible.

Peter Gaffney, who has lived in Kipahulu for nearly 25 years, doesn't believe the damage is serious and said he feels entirely safe walking across the relatively short span to get to work at Kahanu Garden in Hana.

"Why they're denying us access is really silly. There are probably a dozen more dangerous spots between here and Kaupo," said Gaffney, 51.

But county Managing Director Keith Regan, who examined the underside of the structure, said anyone who thinks Paihi Bridge is safe is mistaken.

"There are huge gaping holes underneath the Kipahulu side of the bridge that you can't see from above," Regan said.

EARTHQUAKE DAMAGE

Two earthquakes that shook the state Oct. 15 are believed to have cracked or jarred the rock foundation under the structure, and subsequent heavy rain contributed to its instability.

Senior geologist Eric Bjorken of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers has reported that "the foundation material located beneath the right abutment on the Kipahulu side of the bridge is in a progressive failure stage and total failure of the bridge can occur catastrophically."

Paihi Bridge, built in 1911, is among 10 county bridges in the Hana Highway Historic District that are structurally deficient and in need of immediate attention, according to the 2001 Hana Bridges Preservation Plan.

The county was planning to replace the bridge before the earthquake, with the project put out to bid earlier in the month. Construction was expected to start early next year, but the project could be delayed because the new damage likely will require design changes, said Mike Miyamoto, deputy director of the county Department of Public Works and Waste Management. For example, he said, longer beams may be necessary to reach beyond the newly expanded unstable area.

The Honolulu engineering firm Wilson Okamoto Corp., the same company that designed the replacement structure, has been hired by the county to come up with a plan for an emergency bridge, with $450,000 set aside to cover design and construction costs, although the amount could increase depending on the extent of damage, Miyamoto said.

The county also is looking into the residents' request for a footbridge, he said.

Officials estimate there are up to 500 people living in Kipahulu, although it's hard to know for sure because most properties in the lush rural area are set far off the road, and their inhabitants, who include farmers, Native Hawaiians, millionaires and reclusive celebrities, cherish their privacy. Many are nearly self-sufficient and have their own power and water systems, needing little outside assistance except for occasional trips to Kahului to stock up on food and other supplies.

They and other East Maui residents depend on a single highway that loops around Haleakala. Most motorists, including hundreds of tourists a day, approach Hana from Kahului on winding Hana Highway. The road runs through Hana town into Kipahulu, where the main attraction is the Pools of 'Ohe'o, part of Haleakala National Park. Continuing on, the rugged road turns into Pi'ilani Highway and passes through the even smaller village of Kaupo and on into 'Ulupalakua and Kula in Upcountry Maui.

Landslides and flooding regularly cause temporary closures of the highway between Kahului and Hana and between Kipahulu and Kaupo, but it is unusual for Kipahulu to be cut off from Hana, where many residents work, bank, shop and go to school.

NOT TOO WORRIED

For now, most seem to be taking the closure of Paihi Bridge in stride as long as Pi'ilani Highway remains open as an outlet to the rest of the island. Aside from ignoring the safety warnings and crossing the bridge on foot, options for those who must get to Hana include staying with friends or family there, or driving all the way around the mountain, a three- to five-hour trip, depending on traffic and road conditions.

"What's the big to-do? The Paihi Bridge has been terrible for years," said Farley Jacob, 50. "Everybody knows rocks could fall. It's what you live with. The main worries are that you don't close the back road (to Kaupo) and to keep the tourists off the road."

Jacob, who is active in the Kipahulu Community Association and Friends of Haleakala, does gardening jobs in Kipahulu and goes to Hana only once or twice a month to shop, drop off recyclables and trash, and return library books. "In a lot of ways it's great. It's quiet, there's no traffic, you can walk down the road and talk to your neighbors," he said.

Bookkeeper Pat O'Connell said she does much of her work at home, but walked across the bridge to get to a client in Hana. She's worried what will happen if the roadway remains closed for an extended period. "We're not feeling it a lot right now, but if the situation is not resolved soon, it will affect the economy. A lot of people's jobs depend on getting to Hana," she said.

O'Connell's 16-year-old son is enrolled in the Myron B. Thompson Academy, which offers online instruction, so his education was not interrupted by the closure, but 17 other children in Kipahulu attend Hana High & Elementary School on the other side of the damaged bridge.

All but a couple of the students made it to class this week, said Principal Rick Paul, with some staying with friends or relatives in Hana. Residents said others were escorted across the bridge by their parents before catching rides. In case the road closure is long term, Paul is making arrangements for the students to study at home via an online curriculum or at a meeting place on the Kipahulu side of the bridge.

MAIL CAN'T GET THROUGH

The bridge closure also has meant no rural-route postal delivery, although residents can arrange to pick up their mail at the Kula or Hana post offices.

The county has taken steps to address other issues that could arise, such as identifying helicopter landing zones where heavy equipment could be dropped and medical cases picked up if necessary, and assisting with propane deliveries, because companies are reluctant to send their trucks out on uncertain roads.

"It's a very hardy community. They're used to being able to sustain themselves for some period of time," Regan said. "They're used to being somewhat isolated, but being completely isolated is somewhat different for them."

The residents could find themselves in such a position if conditions worsen on Pi'ilani Highway past Kipahulu, where "bus-sized boulders" are being held in place only by cinders, reported Haleakala National Park ranger Dominic Cardea. The stretch of patchy highway is where a park ranger was killed by a falling boulder in September 2004 while clearing rocks from the road.

Officials have decided to keep Pi'ilani Highway open only to essential local traffic, and tourists are being told to avoid driving the Kaupo route. But Hana town remains open for business via Hana Highway.

Reach Christie Wilson at cwilson@honoluluadvertiser.com.