Saddle Road Improvement Project Update

Road and Highway Builders LLC has decided to suspend paving on Saddle Road for six to eight weeks. They encountered an issue with the quality of the asphalt. In addition, RHB may have to tear up some of the recently laid pavement.

(Related item: Saddle Road Reconstruction Update)

The Parker Ranch Connector Road grant of easement resolution officially has been agendized for the upcoming Hawaii Council meeting on November 4th, 2010. Parker Ranch has promised to open the roadway after the council has approved this easement legislation.

Goodfellow Brothers, the Queen Kaahumanu Highway Phase II widening project contractor, recently established a base yard across from  HDCC‘s old Kealakehe Parkway base yard. They are planning to store only pipe material at this location.

Ed Brown, Goodfellow’s regional manager, stated they were not going to use this location at the first Queen Kaahumanu Highway widening public meeting. Goodfellow had made arrangements to establish a base yard at NELHA. However, NELHA doesn’t permit entities storing materials on their property unless its for an on-site CIP project. So, Goodfellow had to find another location nearby. This is why they established a base yard on Kealakehe Parkway.

I might’ve made some headway regarding HDCC‘s abandoned Kealakehe Parkway base yard. HDCC will be submitting a schedule to the HDOT delineating when they’ll completely vacate this area shortly.

Abbey Mayer, the director of the state Office of Planning, replied to my e-mail questioning his position on The Villages at Aina Le’a project.

“The quote in this article, if accurate, is taken totally out of context. The Office of Planning continues to recommend that the entire Petition Area be reverted to the State Agricultural District. This is not due to the area’s suitability for a urban development, but rather due to the Petitioner’s failures to meet conditions and representations made to the LUC.”

The completion widening of Mamalahoa Highway from m.m NHCH to m.m 56 in Waimea has been delayed until early December. There was a waterline in the wrong location. This required the shifting of several dry wells. The county is in the process of acquiring the land easements for these dry wells

I noticed a lot of soil being left on Palani Road from the heavy trucks hauling the excavated material across the roadway to the crusher on Tuesday. So, I e-mailed the engineer for the mid-level road project my concerns. He e-mailed me this response:

“As you observed, we’ve been hauling excavation spoils across the road to the crusher, and given that we have to keep the ground damp to minimize airborne dust, there is the flip-side that this creates mud sticks to the truck tires. We try to wash the road down several times a day – and will certainly do so again by the end of work today.”

There is upcoming construction work scheduled for this area (from Henry Street intersection to Queen Kaahumanu Highway).

“embankment (building up the low spots) through the end of next week, with underground utilities to follow. Retaining wall construction at the fire station to start next week.”

Lastly, Hawaiian Telcom officially exited bankruptcy today. Nevertheless, their post bankruptcy success remains murky.

(Related item: Hawaiian Telcom lobbying the FCC to be qualified for Universal Service Funding)