DOT Gets Traffic Moving in 2010
At 4 p.m. on Oahu, tens of thousands of Ewa-bound motorists brace for rush-hour traffic. Some listen to the helicopter traffic reports on the radio. Others check for traffic alerts on their iPhones and Blackberrys, hoping there aren’t any lane closures and accidents.
There is some good news for motorists wearied by traffic jams five days a week. In 2010, the state Department of Transportation (DOT) plans to reduce commute times and improve safety along one of the busiest corridors of the H-1.
DOT recently broke ground on the South Punaluu
Stream Bridge project.
State Transportation Director Brennon Morioka says his department is moving forward on major projects to improve the quality of life for all the people of Hawaii.
Morioka says in January the DOT began accepting bids for two projects, the H-1 P.M. Contraflow and Pearl City and Waimalu Viaducts Improvement Project on Oahu and the Lahaina Bypass Project, Phase 1B-1, on Maui.
“The P.M. Contraflow and Pearl City and Waimalu Viaducts Improvements Project combines two major projects in order to improve safety and reduce commute times along one of the busiest corridors of the H-1 Freeway,” says Morioka. “The Pearl City and Waimalu Viaducts Improvements portion of the project will improve the structural integrity of both aging viaducts along the H-1 Freeway. The other key component to this project is the P.M. Contraflow Lane, which aims to alleviate westbound traffic congestion by constructing a barrier system (similar to the current Zipper Lane) from Honolulu International Airport to Waikele. This will provide an extra lane for commuters heading to West Oahu during weekday afternoon rush hours. The design and construction work for this project will be an estimated $75 million, funded 90 percent by federal dollars.”
Regarding the project on Maui, Morioka says, “We broke ground last spring on the Honoapiilani Highway Realignment Project, more commonly referred to as the Lahaina Bypass, which will construct an alternate route around Lahaina town. This month we began advertising for Phase 2 of the five-phase project. Phase 2 will span approximately 1.7 miles from Lahainaluna Road, connecting to the ongoing work on Phase 1A, and south to Hokiokio Place. This phase is an estimated $50 million, 80 percent federally funded.”
Morioka says these projects are part of the state’s efforts to stimulate the economy and create jobs.
“We are very excited about moving forward with these traffic solutions,” says Morioka. “The projects will help to improve the quality of life for thousands of motorists each day, getting them through traffic and home to their families faster than ever before.”
According to Morioka, the Highways Division will review solicited bids and announce a contractor selection in mid-2010.
DOT Preps for the Second City
In Building Industry’s 2007 report on bridges and roadwork, then director of DOT Barry Fukunaga said that since Oahu’s population was moving out to the west side of Oahu, DOT was concentrating on many highway improvement projects in the Ewa region.
Are DOT’s eyes are still fixed on West Oahu?
“Yes, we are continuing to invest in our growing West Oahu communities and have completed several major projects that will provide much needed relief to that region,” says Morioka. “We will continue to invest in the West Oahu community in 2010, to provide the necessary infrastructure to become a true ‘second city.’”
Along with the P.M. Contraflow project that Morioka mentions above, which will greatly benefit West Oahu commuters, DOT has additional projects it recently completed or are near completion. These projects include:
• Fort Weaver Road Widening, Phase II
“This project was just completed in December for $59.85 million, widening the roadway from
four-to-six lanes from Aawa Drive to Geiger Road. Combined with Phase I of the project, completed in August 2006, traffic capacity has been increased by more than 33 percent over a 3-mile segment to Farrington Highway, providing substantial time-savings for Ewa motorists,” says Morioka.
• Kapolei Interchange
Morioka says: “This is another project aimed at improving the traffic flow in and out of Kapolei and help to alleviate the congestion at the existing Makakilo and Palailai interchanges. This will provide more choices for motorists in the Kapolei area.
“Phase I of the project consists of a new eastbound H-1 Freeway on- and off-ramp for the new Kapolei Interchange at Kamokila Boulevard and Wakea Street, as well as a new westbound freeway off-ramp near the Wet ‘n’ Wild Hawaii water park. The new westbound on-ramp at the Makakilo Interchange also will provide motorists with access to the H-1 Freeway from Makakilo Drive.
“Phase II of the project will provide additions to the new Kapolei Interchange, including a concrete H-1 Freeway overpass, a westbound off-ramp from H-1 Freeway to Wakea Street, and a new westbound on-ramp onto Farrington Highway. Subsequent phases will include new on and off-ramps for the Palailai and Makakilo interchanges. Phase I of the project is anticipated to be complete early 2011 and totals $16 million, with no state funds being utilized; it is all paid for by federal dollars and public-private partnerships.”
• North-South Road
“The $60 million North-South Road Interchange H-1 Freeway opened in October and is the second of three phases of the highly anticipated North-South Road project,” says Morioka. “This new road provides new freeway entrances and exits and a link to Farrington Highway for the Kapolei community. The final phase of North-South Road, connecting Farrington Highway to Kapolei Parkway is scheduled for completion in February 2010. The construction costs for this project totaled $143 million and were also 80 percent federally funded.”
Bridges a Top Priority
Over the last five years, the state DOT has been able to construct, rehabilitate or replace about two bridges per year. The DOT receives about $20 million to $25 million in federal money for this program each year.
“We have made investing in Hawaii’s bridges a top priority,” says Morioka. “We recently broke ground on two major bridge projects — the North Kahana Stream Bridge and the South Punaluu Stream Bridge.”
The South Punaluu Bridge Replacement Project is 100 percent funded by the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA).
“The $15.3 million project will replace the 83-year-old South Punaluu Stream Bridge with a new structure that will meet current vehicular load, safety and seismic standards,” says Morioka.
Morioka continues, “Phase I of the project will create a temporary diversion route and detour traffic around the existing bridge. The bridge will then be replaced in Phase II with a new concrete structure that will include 8-foot shoulders and a separate pedestrian path. When completed, traffic will be returned to the original traffic pattern and the temporary route will be removed.”
Construction is expected to be complete at the end of 2011.
Morioka says DOT also is upgrading many bridges on the windward side of Oahu.
“The new bridges not only are safer for vehicles with crash-tested guardrails, wider shoulders, and new pavement markings, but they are also more pedestrian-friendly,” he says.
Phase I of the North Kahana Stream Bridge project will create a temporary diversion route and detour traffic makai of the existing bridge, says Morioka.
“The bridge will then be replaced in Phase II with a new concrete structure that will bring the bridge up to current load and seismic standards,” he says. “When completed, traffic will be returned to the original traffic pattern and the temporary route will be removed.”
According to the DOT, the $13.3 million project is 80 percent federally funded and is anticipated to be complete by the end of 2011.
Big Jobs on the Big Island
There are two major highway construction projects planned for the Big Island in 2010. When complete, these projects will greatly alleviate traffic congestion, says Warren Lee, director of Hawaii County Public Works.
Says Lee: “Ane Keohokalole Highway, also known as Mid-Level Road will receive up to $35 million in ARRA funding. When completed, Mid-Level Road will be approximately 1-mile mauka and parallel to the Queen Kaahumanu Highway from Henry Street to an area mauka of the Kona airport. The Ane Keohokalole Highway will serve as a major collector road for the region. The first phase will extend from Palani Road in Kailua-Kona at Henry Street to Kealakehe Parkway at the county’s West Hawaii Civic Center that is under construction.
“This road is critical because it will open up new portions of the Department of Hawaiian Home Lands Villages of Lai Opua that will provide more than 700 units for Hawaiian Homesteaders and a state affordable housing project at Keahuolu that will eventually provide about 2,200 homes. In the future, the Ane Keohokalole Highway will extend to the new campus of the West Hawaii Community College at the Palamanui project.”
Another major project for Hawaii County is the Mamalahoa Highway construction-widening project in Waimea, South Kohala. It is expected to begin in late January 2010. “Construction will take approximately seven months at a cost of $4.5 million,” says Lee. “The project will alleviate traffic congestion through Waimea town.”
Lee continues: “Mamalahoa Highway will be widened on both sides, within the existing right of way, between North Hawaii Community Hospital and Iona Street at the 56-mile marker. Construction includes additional lanes and a pedestrian/bike path for 4,900-linear feet of roadway. The landscaped center median across Church Row will be relocated and improvements made to the existing traffic signal at the intersection of Mamalahoa Highway and Kamamalu Street. Two lanes will remain open to motorists during construction.”
Valley Isle Projects Abound
Department of Public Works Director Milton Arakawa says there were a number of noteworthy projects within the County of Maui, which have taken place in 2009, as well as scheduled to take place in 2010.
Take for example, the Market Street Improvements, Phase I, says Arakawa.
“It is a $6 million project recently completed in old Wailuku Town, from Wells Street to Kahawai Street,” says Arakawa. “This project involved roadway, streetscape and drainage improvements to help spur the revitalization of Wailuku Town. Market Street, Phase II, continues the project in the Happy Valley area from Kahawai Street to Mokuhau Road. This is a $2.6 million project using ARRA funds.”
Another major project on Maui is the Hansen Road Realignment Project, which involves a realignment of Hansen Road near the Puunene Mill in order to lessen the severity of the road curvature in this area.
“This is a $1.5 million project awarded to Goodfellow Bros.,” says Arakawa.
Arakawa says Maui County also has been working with the community to preserve historic bridges within the Hana Highway district.
Says Arakawa: “The County of Maui is responsible for 14 bridges from Hana Town to the Kipahulu area. All of these bridges are historic and most were built between 1910 and 1920. These are concrete one-lane bridges, which do not meet current load rating standards and have varying structural integrity concerns. The general Hana and Kipahulu community made it clear that they wanted to maintain the historic character of these bridges. Consequently, the County of Maui has embarked on formulating a preservation plan for the bridges. The plan makes specific design recommendations involving rehabilitation or reconstruction, which retains the essential historic character of the bridges.”
Hawaii Contractors
Do the Job Right!
Project manager Hye Jin Warren of Koga Engineering and Construction says her company will complete its Trump tower project in 2010.
Says Warren: “The major roadwork element of this project is the Kalia and Saratoga Roads Intersection Improvement that will result in better traffic flow around the new Trump tower and surrounding properties.
“This roadwork effort started last September. This project involved the adding of an additional traffic lane to the old one-way portion of Kalia Road between Beachwalk and Saratoga Road to make it a two-way road. Moreover, we added a left-turn lane on Saratoga Road for makai-bound cars turning Diamond Head onto Kalia Road.
“During the planning phase, we had numerous meetings with the design engineers, Wilson Okamoto Corporation, to develop a more effective traffic control plan without closing any roads to traffic. Night work was not an option due to noise concerns for the surrounding Waikiki hotels, so this intersection improvement project was divided into five phases to minimize any impact on traffic flow during construction. Each completed phase was used as the following phase’s new traffic route as we progressed through the project.”
Warren says the entire Trump tower project was an excellent study of how many activities can go on simultaneously in a very small area.
Garrett Sullivan of Kaikor does not report many major road projects on the company’s docket for 2010; however, the company is currently finishing up the Hawaii Belt Road Hakalau Bridge Seismic Retrofit Project for the state DOT.
“The project involved restabilizing two bridge footings by installing 29 micropiles and massive new footings,” says Sullivan. “The cost of the project was approximately $3.5 million.”
Kaikor also is starting the aforementioned replacement of the North Kahana Bridge on Oahu for the state.
“This project involves the installation of a new temporary bridge while the old bridge is demolished and new bridge is constructed,” he says.
On Maui, Hawaiian Dredging Construction Co. is working on Honoapiilani Highway Realignment Phase 1A, Keawe Street to Lahainaluna Road, which is the first of several phases of the Lahaina Bypass, according to Michael Nakashima, vice president and division manager for the heavy division of Hawaiian Dredging.
Says Nakashima: “It consists of two bridges and more than a half mile of (concrete) pavement. One bridge crosses Kahoma Stream with a span of 350 feet without any intermediate piers on a super and horizontal curve. The bridge is made up of precast components, which are post tensioned, and a cast-in-place deck. This will be a reversed arch bridge, probably the first in the nation.
“The second bridge is a grade separation bridge which would span 140 feet across the new Honoapiilani Highway. This is on Lahainaluna Road and consists of precast girders with a poured-in-place deck. At the mauka end of this bridge is an on-ramp onto the new Honoapiilani Highway and crosses the Kahoma Stream Bridge. The roadway traverses and meets Keawe Street, which is directly across the Lahaina Shopping Center. This alignment creates partial relief of traffic traveling up and down Lahainaluna Road, which services three schools (3,000 students) on the mauka end.”
On Oahu, Hawaiian Dredging recently began wrapping up the Fort Weaver Road project, which added two additional lanes out of Ewa.
“This will be completely done in 2010 but was already dedicated last month,” says Nakashima.
Less “Windshield Time,”
More Family Time
In October 2009, Goodfellow Bros., Inc. began work on the Honoapiilani Highway Widening Project, Lahainaluna Road to Aholo Road. The goal of this project is to widen this one-mile section from two lanes to four lanes, with landscaped medians, pedestrian and bike lanes and intersection upgrades.
The Honoapiilani Highway is the primary gateway into Lahaina town. According to the DOT, nearly 26,000 vehicles travel this route everyday, which is currently the only access route available to parts of the island north of Lahaina.
“It is a very nice improvement to the entrance of Lahaina,” says Ray Skelton, Maui regional manager for Goodfellow Bros.
The highway-widening project will be complete in 2010, says Skelton.
Another major project Goodfellow Bros. is working on is the aforementioned Hansen Road Realignment Project in Puunene on Maui.
The goal of this county project, which is to lessen severity of road curvature, is an important issue to the community, says Skelton.
“That road is a tight S-curve that is rather narrow,” says Skelton, “and the oncoming traffic is virtually in your lap!”
Skelton says that when the road is slick, people have been known to drive into the old agricultural ditches along the narrow road.
Skelton says roadwork is very rewarding. He feels the best part about this business is “helping the community spend less windshield time and more time with their families.”
What’s On The Horizon?
With all these road and bridge projects planned for 2010, can the industry hope for more work on the horizon? Skelton hopes so, but says Goodfellow Bros. is cautiously optimistic.
“I’m not thinking there’s going to be a lot of work coming out. It just seems like it’s going to be tougher than 2009.”
Skelton says there is one positive thing to consider — “The lower and more competitive prices the state and counties have been getting allow more money to be put back out and some long-awaited projects can actually happen.”
