$500,000 Released for Hāna Highway Rockfall Mitigation

Landslide, Hāna Highway, May 2, 2014. Photo courtesy Kaliko Sanchez.

By Wendy Osher

Rockfall mitigation on the Hāna Highway in East Maui will benefit from a $500,000 appropriation released today by Governor Neil Abercrombie.

The funding is for Phase 2 of a project located between mile-19.18 and -19.52, and will go towards the removal of overhanging, protruding, and unstable rocks from the slopes above the roadway.

The project may also include installation of rockfall restraining mesh and anchors, slope cutting an revegetation of the slope, according to state officials.

The funding release comes on the heels of a large landslide on Friday in an area of the Hāna Highway further west between Honomanū and Keʻanae near mile 15. State officials say the landslide spanned 100 feet and was an estimated 20 feet in height.

An estimated 2,000 cubic yards of mud and debris was cleared from the area before the road was completely reopened the following day.

The rockfall mitigation funds are part of a larger $1.254 million released on Maui, and $12.4 million released across the state for capital improvement projects aimed at increasing safety, and improving or maintaining transportation infrastructure in the state.

“Our highways and harbors provide us with a fundamental transportation link that we depend on economically and socially,” said Governor Abercrombie in a press release statement. “By investing in this vital infrastructure, we also inject energy into the construction sector, which is expected to be our primary source for economic growth through next year,” he said.

West Maui Honoapiilani erosion, file photo by Wendy Osher.

State officials say additional funding on Maui was released for the following CIP highway projects:

• $320,000, Hāna Highway Bridge Preservation Plan:  Planning funds for the development of a preservation plan for each of the state-owned bridges and structures within the Hāna Highway Historic District.
• $225,000, Honoapiʻilani Highway Shoreline Improvement at Olowalu: Additional design and land funds to restore roadway shoulders damaged by repeated high surf and wave action.
• $209,000, Pedestrian Countdown Timers, Phase II: State officials say these construction funds are to “replace existing pedestrian signal heads with 113 countdown timers to increase pedestrian safety and to ensure compliance with the standard requirements in conformance with the Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Devices at various locations.”

Senator J Kalani English of Maui who chairs of the Senate Committee on Transportation and International Affairs, issued the following statement on the release of $820,000 in funding for improvements to Hāna Highway:

“We are fortunate that no one was injured in this weekend’s mudslide on Hāna Highway. It is imperative that we start work immediately to prevent these disasters now that the governor has released the funds. My colleagues and I secured funding for rockfall mitigation to prevent disasters such as the mudslide this weekend. Half a million will to go towards removing unstable rock and boulders, installing retaining mesh and anchors, and cutting and vegetating slopes.

“Additionally, the Hāna Highway Bridge Preservation Plan will receive $320,000 to determine the disposition of existing bridges along the highway. As a historic highway, the existing infrastructure is aging and requires maintenance to ensure that the bridges are both safe and maintains the original character of the historic highway.

“These safety enhancements will go a long way in preventing disasters and improving the flow of traffic for our residents who depend on these roads to go to work, school, and spend time with family and friends.”

Other projects included in the funding release across the state include: $4.36 million for the Queen Kaʻahumanu Highway Widening, Phase II from Kealakehe Parkway to Keahole Airport Access Road on Hawaiʻi Island; $3 million for Middle Street reconstruction from North King Street to Kamehameha Highway on Oʻahu; $900,000 for Kaumualiʻi Highway Improvements from Līhuʻe Mill Bridge to Rice Street on Kauaʻi; $530,000 for Kuhio Highway on Kauaʻi for the Replacement of Waiʻoli, Waipā and Waikoko Stream Bridges; $448,000 for Nāwiliwili road improvements from Kaumualiʻi Highway to Kanani Street on Kauaʻi; $389,600 for a statewide planning and research program for Fiscal Year 2014, as a prerequisite to continued receipt of federal highway funds; $280,000 for project ccoping, statewide; $270,000 for drainage improvements on Hawaiʻi Belt Road in the vicinity of the Hakalau Bridge on Hawaiʻi Island; $112,000 for the replacement of the Kaluanui Stream Bridge on Kamehameha Highway on Oʻahu; $31,400 for the replacement of the Waikane Stream Bridge on Kamehameha Highway on Oʻahu; $500,000 for a Hilo Harbor Modifications Feasibility Study on Hawaiʻi Island; and $350,000 to install a lift station and force main at Port Allen Harbor on Kauaʻi.