NAWILIWILI — Mayor Bernard Carvalho Jr. recently said no to a $4 million plan to restore the Kapaia Swinging Bridge. But the surrounding community is still fighting for the historic Eastside landmark, turning over every possible rock to find grants
NAWILIWILI — Mayor Bernard Carvalho Jr. recently said no to a $4 million plan to restore the Kapaia Swinging Bridge. But the surrounding community is still fighting for the historic Eastside landmark, turning over every possible rock to find grants to make the project possible.
Meanwhile, the bridge is threatening to collapse. This could make the restoration work much more difficult and costly than previously estimated, a Kapaia resident told the Kaua‘i County Council on Wednesday.
Despite the mayor’s objections, the council set aside $230,000 in next year’s budget to be used toward the bridge’s restoration.
Kapaia resident Kimo St. John asked council members to release $20,000 of the funding to stabilize one of the bridge’s wooden towers. The steel cables are sagging and there’s a “real possibility” the entire bridge will collapse, he said.
The $20,000 would be sufficient for temporary repairs to keep the bridge from collapsing until funding for a full-restoration project is obtained, St. John said.
Before any work is done on the bridge, even temporary repairs, the county needs to submit plans to the State Historic Preservation Division for review and comment, County Attorney Mauna Kea Trask said.
“I don’t see this as an obstacle, but it is a requirement,” he said.
Councilwoman JoAnn Yukimura wanted to know if the administration was willing and able to begin stabilization work on the bridge, “so that the long-range vision will continue to be a possibility.”
Managing Director Gary Heu said he would have to consult with the county Public Works Department to respond.
“There may be other options,” he said, adding the administration needs time to see what the best course of action would be.
“I hope it’s not too complicated … because this is stabilization,” Yukimura said. “It’s just to keep the bridge from falling into the water.”
Restoration and access
Who would imagine an 80-foot wooden bridge — held together by steel cables and two wooden towers sitting on cement foundations — could cost as much as 11 mid-size homes on Kaua‘i?
Kai Hawai‘i, a Honolulu engineering firm hired by the county after a non-bid contract, estimated the restoration of the Kapaia Swinging Bridge at approximately $2 million, plus another $2 million to acquire public access.
By comparison, a two-story home with four bedrooms, three bathrooms and a two-car garage in Kapahi is valued at $365,000, according to county real property tax assessments.
“Two wooden towers, 80 feet of wooden planks, two lines of cables of steel,” Kapaia resident Neil Wadahara said. “Two million dollars?”
County Engineer Larry Dill said at a previous meeting on May 18 that the original wood used on the bridge was redwood.
Just the cost of the redwood alone was estimated at $800,000, he said. If Douglas fir is used, the cost of the wood would drop to $400,000, sufficient to buy a comfortable home on the island.
Original plans do not indicate redwood was used, Wadahara said Wednesday, and using less costly but durable wood should be allowed.
The decaying bridge, built in 1948, has been closed to the public since September 2006 when the county deemed it unsafe for pedestrian use.
Kapaia residents have been fighting for years to have the bridge restored. The structure has been steadily deteriorating, and now one of the wooden towers looks close to collapse. The wood that holds one of the sides has almost completely rotted away, and one of the steel cables hanging from the top of the structure is putting pressure on it, threatening to give way.
After spending over $130,000 in feasibility studies, the county was told the bridge’s restoration would cost as much as $2 million just for the structure. Since the county owns the structure, but has no legal access to the bridge, acquiring easements to the bridge — including Americans with Disability Act improvements — would add approximately another $2 million to the project.
“Our position has not changed,” said Heu, explaining that the administration, based on present conditions, is not willing to repair the bridge.
The bridge’s restoration itself is just one of the pieces of the puzzle. The administration and the council are still struggling with public access issues and ADA compliance, two factors that keep the repair cost substantially high.
While the county owns the bridge, access to it on both ends falls on private property.
Kapaia resident Laraine Moriguchi said that when the bridge was open to the public, residents traditionally walked through private property to access it and no one has ever said anything against it.
Additionally, depending on how the bridge is restored — as a monument or as a pedestrian path — and if adjacent land is acquired as public right of use, different requirements for ADA compliance may kick in.
Much ado about ADA
Councilman Mel Rapozo said the community wants the bridge restored so they can once again use it as a pedestrian path between Hanama‘ulu and Lihu‘e.
“That’s how this conversation started back in 2006,” he said.
Yukimura said those advocating for the bridge really see it as a pedestrian path.
If the county chooses to restore the bridge as a historic monument rather than a pedestrian path, it could potentially free the county from acquiring public access and repairing it up to costly ADA standards that could change the character of the bridge.
However, even if the bridge is not technically built as a public path, it may require ADA compliance, according to a state expert.
Curtis Motoyama, coordinator at the Disability and Communication Access Board of the state Department of Health, told council members that even if the bridge is restored as a tourist destination, the county is still obligated to ensure the bridge is ADA accessible, possibly in the form of a parking lot with an accessible route to the bridge.
To the dismay of council members, Motoyama also said the state agency does not give final endorsement on ADA projects. Hawai‘i law, he said, says that state and county are required to seek advice and recommendation from DCAB.
“You’re telling me we can never get an approval?” Council Chair Jay Furfaro said, adding that the state is basically saying “we didn’t approve it” in case there’s a liability claim.
Even though saying that complying with ADA recommendations from DCAB would not shut the door for possible lawsuits, Motoyama said he is not aware of any civil case brought up after compliance with DCAB recommendations.
If a private entity does undertake the bridge restoration, it would not be required by law to seek review and recommendation from DCAB, but it would still be required to comply with ADA requirements, according to Motoyama.
The council unanimously voted to defer action on communication and to request presence in a future meeting of a representative from the State Historic Preservation Division.
On the Net:
www.kauai.gov
www.savekapaiaswingingbridge.com
• Léo Azambuja, staff writer, can be reached at 245-3681 (ext. 252) or lazambuja@ thegardenisland.com.
