Department of Transportation

HONOLULU – The Hawaii Department of Transportation (HDOT) is planning adjustments to the replacement of Makaha Bridge No. 3 and 3A on Farrington Highway. The adjustments will align with current resiliency goals and take community feedback on the project into account.

Project elements that will be changed include:

• Use of a pre-fabricated steel bridge instead of a concrete bridge.
• Elimination of the temporary bypass road. This minimizes the private land acquisitions needed for construction access.

Use of pre-fabricated steel elements is expected to reduce the cost of the replacements to the existing bridges by between 10 to 20-percent. Construction time savings is anticipated as between four to six months.

The estimated construction duration is 15-months. For approximately 12-months, Farrington Highway near Kili Drive will be single lane access only with a pedestrian/bicycle shoulder. This will enable work on the bridge foundations to be conducted safely.

Stream openings and other weather-resistant features of the Makaha Bridge No. 3 and 3A replacements will remain within 100-year storm levels.

The existing bridges were built in 1937 and are currently ranked as the top two priority bridges in need of upgrade or repair on the State Highways system. Replacement of the bridges does not preclude future realignment of Farrington Highway as supported by the community. Rather, it ensures that residents west of the bridge sites will have continued, safe, access to the highway.

To complete the plan for the adjustments, start of the replacement project will be delayed approximately six-months. Preparations for the replacement of Makaha Bridge No. 3 and 3A were previously expected Monday, March 8, 2021.

Stay up-to-date on construction lane closures for state roadways, including Farrington Highway, at https://hidot.hawaii.gov/roadwork and on our social media accounts https://www.facebook.com/HawaiiDepartmentOfTransportation and https://twitter.com/DOTHawaii

###