Road construction to affect business commute

LIHU‘E — Everybody says “I have to go to Lihu‘e” instead of “I want to,” said Neil Clendeninn, chair of the Lihu‘e Business Association’s Lihu‘e Tomorrow Committee.

Construction delays especially make driving into town a chore rather than an adventure, he said.

State Department of Transportation Kaua‘i District Engineer Raymond McCormick was on hand at the most recent monthly LBA forum to discuss what construction woes lie ahead for the island’s business community.

Besides “limited” funding, road construction projects are a time consuming and difficult process, McCormick said, citing Kapule Highway as an example.

“We hit some ‘snags,’” he said in reference to the resurfacing project which will also expand the shoulders approximately four feet to “better accommodate bicycles and pedestrians.”

To be completed before mid-December, McCormick said the project could also include a traffic signal at the Kapule and Rice Street intersection, but adds that they are expensive to maintain, including the cost of electricity.

Another project — costing taxpayers some $40 million — is the widening of Kaumuali‘i Highway from Anonui Street to the Lihu‘e Mill Bridge. Expanding the highway from two to four lanes, the venture is slated to begin in April.

It has “taken a long time” and the state “hasn’t even turned any dirt yet,” he said.

“There is a reason for everything we do and we have a lot of laws to abide by,” McCormick said when explaining the various complaints he receives, such as why work is executed during business hours rather than at night.

“None of the state projects work at night from September to December because of the shearwaters,” he said in reference to the endangered birds which fly from the mountains to the sea at night and are often distracted by bright lights which cause them to fall from fatigue. “I know the folks who live on the North Shore want us out of the way.”

Another highway improvement project which has recently commenced is the replacement of the Cane Haul Bridge in Wailua.

The first phase of the bridge’s makeover will be completed by mid-November, according to Unlimited Construction Senior Project Engineer Sujatha Ramaraju. But that’s only the beginning, as the relocation of sewer and water lines is still underway and a complete closure of the bridge is set to start in December. The bridge will expand to two lanes and will include the addition of a bike path.

“Basically, it’s a simple project, but with traffic flow … it’s quite a bit stressful,” she said.

It will be “hard to predict” which lanes will be closed in the coming months, but Ramaraju said she has been “getting the message out” to various media outlets. The target date of completion for the bridge is the third week of September 2010.

In addition, a four-lane widening of the highway from the Temporary Bypass Road to Kuamo‘o Road will begin construction by mid-2010 and is expected to be completed by mid-2012.

“When it’s done, it’s going to be a beautiful drive,” McCormick said.

One venture which is “many, many years” in the making is the alternative Kapa‘a “relief route,” McCormick said.

The Draft Environmental Impact Statement is still in progress and will not be in “circulation” until early 2010, he said. With a price tag of $200 to $300 million, it’s a project that the DOT “will be at for awhile.”

One audience member asked if any consideration was being made to the rising cost of oil as project plans are determined.

“We are considering that and are taking into account public transportation,” McCormick said and adds that people are always welcome to make suggestions and comments. “We do listen at the DOT.”

For more information contact McCormick at raymond.j.mccormick@hawaii.gov or Maintenance Engineer Willy Ortal at willy.s.ortal@hawaiilgov.

• Coco Zickos, business and environmental writer, can be reached at 245-3681 (ext. 251) or czickos@kauaipubco.com.