KOLOA — The product of years of community planning input and lots of federal funding, the old Ho’onani Road Bridge in Koloa was finally reopened yesterday after several years of being closed to traffic for safety reasons. The new concrete
KOLOA — The product of years of community planning input and lots of federal
funding, the old Ho’onani Road Bridge in Koloa was finally reopened yesterday
after several years of being closed to traffic for safety reasons.
The new
concrete structure spans over 100 feet long with two lanes, and plenty of
sidwalk and shoulder space.
That’s quite an improvement over the old
wooden bridge, said Mayor Maryanne Kusaka at the dedication ceremony yesterday.
What’s more, she said, federal funding covered 80 percent of the project’s
design and construction, which totalled nearly $1.8 million.
” I am so very
proud of this project, and the community collaboration that helped bring it to
fruition in such a positive way,” Kusaka said.
“I hope that it will serve
as a model for others throughout the state.”
She added that at the
community’s request, commercial vehicles will be restricted from using the
bridge. “This limits the traffic to one-ton—no buses, only emergency
vehicles,” Kusaka said.
The project to restore the old four-span wooden
bridge was started in 1989 but was abandoned two years later because it did not
comply with federal standards.
