LIHU‘E — The term “shovel-ready” is new jargon that describes projects ready for construction but which before federal stimulus funding did not have the money to proceed. County officials in a press release said they have five Department of Public
LIHU‘E — The term “shovel-ready” is new jargon that describes projects ready for construction but which before federal stimulus funding did not have the money to proceed.
County officials in a press release said they have five Department of Public Works shovel-ready projects to begin before the end of the current calendar year.
A blessing for one of the DPW projects was held last week.
The first project, Haua‘ala Road ford-crossing repairs and improvements, was awarded to Kaua‘i Builders. The $389,000 project is expected to be completed by the middle of October, weather-permitting.
The other DPW projects that will be out to bid soon include:
— Hanapepe bridge repairs, $500,000;
— Construction of Kaua‘i Fire Department administrative offices, $3 million;
— Koke‘e Road repairs, $7 million;
— Puhi Road repairs, $2 million.
“I’d like to acknowledge our Department of Public Works Engineering Division for their tremendous efforts to move these projects forward,” said Mayor Bernard Carvalho Jr.
“A lot of the work was done in-house, which has resulted in the county and ultimately the taxpayer saving thousands of dollars.”
The mayor said several milestones were set by the Engineering Division, including:
— The design work was done by the county’s engineering staff instead of an outside design firm;
— Project information documents (PID) containing detailed information on each of the shovel-ready projects along with the SharePoint program were developed by the Engineering Division and placed in a project library that can be accessed by county staff involved in the project;
— Based on the success of the PID, a standard operating procedure is being drafted to incorporate PIDs into all county projects;
— The construction phase of each of the projects will be managed by the county.
