LIHUE — The revised cost estimate for the emergency flood repairs on Kuhio Highway on the North Shore and the upgrade of three bridges is $80 million, according to a Tuesday press release.
The majority of costs for the Kuhio Highway emergency flood repairs is expected to be eligible for reimbursement through the Federal Highways Administration’s Emergency Relief Program.
The Hawaii Department of Transportation has advertised an emergency contract for additional Kuhio Highway Emergency Flood Repairs and will be awarding the contract shortly.
The contract includes work to stabilize the slope above Kuhio Highway (Route 560) between Waikoko and Wainiha and various downslope sites on Kuhio Highway.
Work will continue on a six-day-a-week, 10-hour a day schedule for the near future. Limited local access utilizing the convoy system will continue until the work is completed in October.
Mayor Bernard Carvalho Jr. said the emergency proclamation and rule remain in effect for the County of Kauai.
“The safety of our residents in the affected areas of Wainiha and Haena continues to be of the utmost priority. I want to remind everyone that due to emergency roadwork repairs on Kuhio Highway from Waikoko to Wainiha, the current emergency proclamation and rule is necessary for the well-being of our entire community.
“Based upon Hawaii Department of Transportation’s most recent updated timeline that roadwork will continue through October, it is my intention to continue the emergency rule – which limits access to residents and authorized vehicles only — until the highway is deemed safe for normal travel.”
Currently, there two crews installing soil nail and shotcrete anchor structures at the two makai slopes at Waikoko and Wainiha where the roadway structure was washed out. Once the contract for emergency repairs is awarded, an additional crew will be working on the Wainiha Mauka Slope and at sites where the makai slope was compromised.
A separate contract for the update of the Waikoko, Waipa, and Waioli bridges will be awarded as the environmental documentation for that project is completed.
The bridge upgrades are necessary to expedite the recovery efforts on Kuhio Highway as the existing structures are load restricted to eight tons. This severely limits the amount of landslide and other debris that can be removed from the area.
The upgraded bridges will be rated to 16 tons with emergency capacity of 25 tons.
HDOT initially planned to conduct the bridge work at night but will modify the schedule in response to noise concerns from the public. Limited local access during the bridge upgrades and emergency flood repairs will continue.
