KITV4: ‘Nanakuli Water Main Break Leads to New Calls for Bypass Road’

Excerpts from Andrew Pereira’s 27 July 2015 KITV4 report:

When a 24-inch water main broke late Saturday afternoon on Farrington Highway in Nanakuli, it created a chokepoint that wasn’t resolved until 6:30 Monday morning.

Hawaii Department of Transportation spokesman Tim Sakahara said the state has no current plans for an alternate route for Waianae Coast residents. However, late Monday, state Sen. Maile Shimabukuro issued a news release calling for an expansion of the WCEAR by condemning Paakea Road and making it public, while also building an additional back road to connect Helelua to Nanakuli Homesteads.

“Having this additional back road, at least for emergencies, could have bypassed the water main break,” Shimabukuro said in the release. “The main break is a prime example of why a permanent and accessible public roadway is a critical need for our community. The type of gridlock Waianae Coast residents have to endure any time there is an obstruction along Farrington Highway is not just an inconvenience, it also poses a genuine public hazard if there ever is a situation in the future where motorists need to evacuate the area quickly.”

Shimabukuro is urging feedback on her proposal and urged residents to contact her office. [See Water Main Break Update: Sen. Shimabukuro is Asking – Do You Support Making Portions of WCEAR Public & Connecting Piliokahi Ave. to Helelua St. to Bypass Emergencies Like This in the Future?]

“The city is doing the access roads, OK that’s city jurisdiction, it’s a road,” said [Rep. Andria] Tupola. “But, a Mauka Highway, that needs to be a state DOT priority, which then falls into our laps. That means as a state we need to prioritize that money.”

According to Tupola, Kolekole Pass remains off limits as an emergency route until the U.S. Navy can acquire funding for road improvements, which won’t happen until at least the 2017 federal fiscal year.

“The Army side is opened and it’s very well maintained,” said Tupola. “The Navy does not have money to maintain their side, so they decided to close it off.”

Click here to read the full article and watch the video on the KITV4 site.
__________

Sen. Shimabukuro contact information: Hawaii State Capitol, Room 222, 415 South Beretania Street, Honolulu, HI 96813; Phone: (808) 586-7793; FAX: (808) 586-7797; Email: maileshimabukuro@yahoo.com or senshimabukuro@capitol.hawaii.gov