The resurfacing of Saddle Road between m.m 44-48 has been delayed from mid February to early or mid March 2010. The Hawaii County DPW has to complete a roadway resurfacing project in South Kona before it can proceed with resurfacing Saddle Road. Nevertheless, the county will be clearing the shoulders and doing masonry work between m.m 44-48 this week in preparation for the upcoming roadway resurfacing.
The Malulani Gardens traffic signal will be set on flash mode starting tomorrow and should be fully activated by February 19, 2010. It is still unclear if the county will remove the barricade blocking access on the Ka’u end of Hale Kapili Street. Nonetheless, I’ll try my hardest to urge the county to open up this roadway completely.
The widening of Mamalahoa Highway in Waimea (from NHCH to m.m 56) will be commencing this month.
I’m very frustrated that neither Isemoto nor the HDOT will respond to my e-mails regarding the stalled construction work on Mamalahoa Highway above Hualalai Vistas. It is my understanding the HDOT told Isemoto to stop work on the new channelized intersection due concerns raised by the surrounding homeowners. Nevertheless, the incomplete project is turning into a huge eyesore. It would be nice to know when Isemoto is going to resume work on this project and when it will be completed.
I received this e-mail response from the Big Island Fiber Initiative group regarding my concerns about their proposal.
“Thank you for your comments. Unfortunately in this modern age some data is indeed still shipped off island via antiquated methods. A major problem that the PANStarrs project faces is data warehousing and transfer. A single PANStarrs telescope would generate over 10 terabytes of data per day. Since MHPCC on Maui is being considered to warehouse and process this data, transferring the data is a major problem. A single gigabit link would not be sufficient, and would leave no available bandwidth for any of the other observatories.
The purpose of the Big Island Fiber Initiative is not to support scientific data transfer, but to alert Google of the need for internet connections to many of the more remote areas of the island. The potential scientific support would be a mere added benefit, and is mentioned as proof that the Big Island is not just a remote rock in the pacific, but a world destination for tourists, academics, and science alike. “
The Hawaii Supreme Court may fast track the Coupes latest Mamalahoa (Hokulia) bypass appeal since all the briefs have been filed with the court. It is my understanding that their work load is really light compared to the Hawaii Intermediate Court of Appeals. Thus, the court will probably place the Coupe’s appeal on the court’s docket shortly.
Lastly, General Growth Properties has rejected Simon Property Group’s 10 billion dollar offer. However, the bankruptcy judge, not GGP, will make the final call if this deal will be consummated.
