HONOLULU — The state Department of Transportation said the advanced deck replacement project on the H-1 Freeway Pearl City viaduct will wrap up tonight.

“We want to thank drivers for their continued patience over the past six months as we repaired thousands of square feet of roadway along the Pearl City viaduct,” said Brennon Morioka, director of the Department of Transportation. “This is the first major repair of this section of freeway since it was built in 1969.”
In January, inspectors discovered a large hole in one of the Honolulu-bound lanes of the Salt Lake viaduct that went completely through the bridge deck. A six foot section was replaced that night, and a consultant was subsequently contracted to inspect the entire Honolulu-bound portion of the viaduct to identify other problem areas.
Based on the findings, the DOT decided upon an aggressive course of preventative deck replacements to repair the sections of roadway that were quickly deteriorating.
After consulting with the Department of Health and obtaining a night work noise variance, a weekday, nighttime work schedule was ordered by the DOT to minimize the impact work would have on motorists.
Triton Marine Construction Corporation was contracted to complete the advanced repairs at a cost of $7 million. Since the project began in April, nearly 30,000 square feet of deck on the Pearl City viaduct have been completely replaced.
“There is still more work that needs to be done,” Morioka said. “This advanced replacement project allowed us to replace sections of the Pearl City viaduct that needed immediate repair. Next year, we will resume work on both the Pearl City and Waimalu viaduct to make more extensive repairs on this heavily traveled corridor,” he said.
Starting in spring of 2010, work will resume in the east-bound direction and repairs in the west-bound direction are scheduled to begin by approximately mid-summer of 2010.