Updated at 12:08 p.m., Thursday, August 23, 2007
Boulders to be airlifted from Moanalua Valley
Advertiser Staff
A helicopter will pluck boulder fragments off the hillside under Tripler Hospital tomorrow morning as part of an Army Corp of Engineers project to remove dangerous boulders above homes in Moanalua Valley.On Aug. 14, Prometheus Construction began drilling into the hillside above homes on Ala Mahina Street to secure cable net drapery over rock faces of five boulders, up to 5 feet in diameter and weighing between 2 tons to 9 tons.
Cable nets secured the boulders while crews hammered them into manageable pieces and placed them into heavy-duty bags.
Residents in five nearby homes will be evacuated during the airlift, which is scheduled for 9 to 11 a.m. Pacific Helicopters will hoist the bags off the slopes and onto Tripler Hospital grounds, where they will be trucked away.
This is the second time a helicopter will be used to take boulders off the Moanalua hillside. Heavy rains in December 2003 led to landslides in the area. In July 2005, $1.4 million was spent to remove 50 boulders from 15 sites under Tripler Hospital.
The Army Corp of Engineers project cost about $309,000. Rep. Glenn Wakai and Sen. Daniel K. Inouye are attempting to secure another $6.5 million in federal funds to remove dangerous boulders identified on the Red Hill side of Moanalua Valley, according to a press release issued by Wakai's office.
