LIHUE – The Hawaii Department of Transportation (HDOT) 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. 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 various sites where the makai slope was compromised.
A separate contract for the update of the Waikoko, Waipa, and Waioli bridges (the 3W 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 8 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.
The revised cost estimate for the emergency flood repairs on Kuhio Highway and the upgrade of the 3Ws is $80 million. 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.
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 to be available according to the posted schedule:
Monday through Saturday (MODIFIED 6/19)
- 6 a.m. First trip from Waikoko to Wainiha.
- 6:30 a.m. First trip from Wainiha to Waikoko, to include shuttle.
- 8:30 a.m. Waikoko to Wainiha.
- 9 a.m. Wainiha to Waikoko.
- 12 p.m. Waikoko to Wainiha.
- 12:20 p.m. Wainiha to Waikoko, to include shuttle.
- 12:40 p.m. Waikoko to Wainiha, to include shuttle.
- 1 p.m. Wainiha to Waikoko.
- 5 p.m. Waikoko to Wainiha
- 5:30 p.m. Wainiha to Waikoko
- 6 p.m. Waikoko to Wainiha
- 6:30 p.m. Wainiha to Waikoko
- 10:30 p.m. Wainiha to Waikoko
- 11 p.m. Waikoko to Wainiha (the last trip of the day)
Sunday and Holidays (MODIFIED 6/19)
- 7 a.m. First trip from Waikoko to Wainiha
- 7:30 a.m. First trip from Wainiha to Waikoko
- 8 a.m. Waikoko to Wainiha
- 8:30 a.m. Wainiha to Waikoko
- 9 a.m. Waikoko to Wainiha
- 9:30 a.m. Wainiha to Waikoko
- 10 a.m. Waikoko to Wainiha
- 10:30 a.m. Wainiha to Waikoko
- 11 a.m. Waikoko to Wainiha
- 11:30 a.m. Wainiha to Waikoko
- 12 p.m. Waikoko to Wainiha
- 12:30 p.m. Wainiha to Waikoko
- 1 p.m. Waikoko to Wainiha
- 1:30 p.m. Wainiha to Waikoko
- 2 p.m. Waikoko to Wainiha
- 2:30 p.m. Wainiha to Waikoko
- 3 p.m. Waikoko to Wainiha
- 3:30 p.m. Wainiha to Waikoko
- 4 p.m. Waikoko to Wainiha
- 4:30 p.m. Wainiha to Waikoko
- 5 p.m. Waikoko to Wainiha
- 5:30 p.m. Wainiha to Waikoko
- 6 p.m. Waikoko to Wainiha
- 6:30 p.m. Wainiha to Waikoko
- 10:30 p.m. Last trip from Wainiha to Waikoko
- 11 p.m. Last trip from Waikoko to Wainiha
Please note that construction activities Monday through Saturday may sometimes result in slight delays to the schedule as the crews button up construction activities to make it safe for vehicles to pass, but the convoy will not leave prior to the scheduled time.
A general timeline of the emergency flood repairs on Kuhio Highway is below:
Timeline:
April 14-15, Historic flood event causing over a dozen landslides and five areas to be compromised on Kuhio Highway on the North Shore of Kauai.
April 28, 1-lane emergency access route opened for emergency vehicles only
May 3, $8 million in quick release Emergency Relief funds approved by FHWA
May 4, limited local access opened, crews shift from 12-hour days, seven days a week to 10-hour days, six days a week
May 29, Section 106 consultation held
May 30, late-night convoy added to local access schedule
May 31, weight restriction on route increased from 5 tons to 8 tons due to completion of the first phase of the slope stabilization below the highway in Wainiha
June 7, advertised emergency contract for additional slope stabilization, upgrades to Waikoko, Waipa, and Waioli Bridges
June 15, the State Historic Preservation Division concurs with Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) Section 106 and applicable Section 4(f) findings.
Anticipated dates (subject to change):
June 22, Section 106 Memorandum of Agreement (MOA) to be executed. FHWA National Environmental Policy Act, Section 106, Section 4(f), and related approvals finalized and cleared.
October, emergency repairs and bridge upgrades to be completed; road to open to all traffic without convoys.
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