Laaloa extension taking longer than expected; archaeology survey completed for Mamalahoa Bypass

The finish line for the Laaloa Avenue extension has been pushed back to the end of the year, but the stalled Mamalahoa Bypass project to the south appears closer to moving ahead.

On the upper portion of the Laaloa extension — a $7.7 million connector road and intersection with Kuakini Highway — crews are paving and stabilizing an embankment, Hawaii County Public Works Director Warren Lee said. The two-lane, 60-foot wide road extends 1,900 feet from Laelae Street to Kuakini Highway.

Work on the extension started in July 2013. Public Works had originally planned on the project being completed by mid year, then later revised that projection to late September. Lee said on Thursday that relocating utility lines had taken longer than expected.

Isemoto Contracting Inc. was working on drainage wells and curbs on the $4.4 million lower portion of the project on Thursday. Pavement work for bike lanes and street parking was also still ahead for the existing 3,800-foot portion of Laaloa running through the White Sand Beach Estates subdivision.

The connector is the first to be built in the 3.5 miles of Alii Drive between Royal Poinciana Drive and Kamehameha III Road. Kona Councilman Dru Kanuha said he will continue to push for more such mauka-makai links. The connectors are not just intended to ease the flow of traffic for motorists who have few choices for traveling between Alii Drive and Kuakini Highway. They also give residents more options for escape in such natural disasters as fire and tsunamis, Kanuha said.

“Fire in the past crippled the Kona area,” he said. “No one could go anywhere because you couldn’t get between Alii Drive and Kuakini.”

“I’m looking forward (to the completion of the extension),” Kanuha added. “I know the community is really looking forward to it.”

One of the connectors Kanuha has pushed for is the extension of Nani Kailua Drive. The county’s capital improvement projects budget has $3 million for engineering work on the extension. An environmental assessment is currently being conducted for that project, Lee said.

Another long-awaited project appears ready to proceed after being held up by an archaeology survey. Work on the Mamalahoa Highway bypass was initially slated to begin in August but was delayed over concerns about potential historical structures at the future intersection of the bypass with Highway 11. The State Historic Preservation Division finished reviewing the survey and was expected to give the green light to proceed with the project this week. The grading permits must still be obtained for that 2.2-mile, $27.9 million extension from Halekii Street to Napoopoo Road, Lee said.