Ask the Mayor: Is Nighttime Construction Allowed in Residential Areas?

Maui Now stock photo. June 2016.

Mayor Alan Arakawa answers some of the questions submitted to his staff.

Submit your own questions about County of Maui programs, services, operations or policies to Mayor Alan Arakawa at [email protected], 270-7855 or mail them to 200 S. High St., 9th Floor, Wailuku, HI 96793.

Questions submitted will be considered for inclusion in the “Ask the Mayor” column.

Mayor Alan Arakawa answers some of the questions submitted to his office staff. Submit your own questions about County of Maui programs, services, operations or policies to Mayor Alan Arakawa via email: [email protected], phone: 270-7855 or mail: 200 S. High Street, 9th Floor, Wailuku, Hawaii 96793. Questions submitted will be considered for inclusion in the “Ask the Mayor” column.

Aloha,

Q: We live directly below the new Kualono subdivision in Pukalani. Are they allowed to do work at night? We hear trucks and earthmoving equipment as late as 8 and 9 p.m.

Sometimes the work starts before 6 in the morning. I get up at 5 a.m. every day to go to work and just need to relax at night. I don’t think this is right.

Can you clarify what the rules/ laws are for working in a residential area at night? Thank you.

A: Whenever night work is required for a project, the contractor must apply for a night variance to the noise permit.

For the Kualono project near your home, the State of Hawai‘i requested that contractor Goodfellow Brothers Inc. does the road work at night when they applied for the Work to Perform in the State Right of Way Permit.

Since there are three schools in the vicinity of the project, the state’s intent was to limit the impact of construction activities on the typically congested intersection.

Goodfellow Brothers received the noise permit from the state to do the night work, which it conducted from April 3 through the 7 to install an off-site, 8-inch water line; the hours of operation were from 7 p.m. to 3:30 a.m.

While this portion of night work is complete, another week of night work is scheduled next month to tie into the existing 12-inch water main on Kula Highway and to pave the waterline trenching. The contractor said it will make every effort to limit the noise for this second round of night work, especially when moving equipment in and out of the project entrance—which is located nearest to residents on that side.