Roundabout delayed by paperwork snafu

The planned roundabout at the intersection of Highway 11 and Highway 130 in Pahoa has hit an early snag, with construction delayed until at least the end of the month.

Department of Transportation Hawaii Island district engineer Sal Panem said Friday that an oversight in paperwork had led to the delay.

Work on the $4.8 million state-funded project was scheduled to begin August 10.

While the roundabout itself is being built, a detour road will be put in place. Panem said the detour road area was not initially included in the area of potential impact when the DOT sent required paperwork to the state Department of Historic Preservation.

The error was found when a notice to proceed was issued to contractor Isemoto Contracting, after the department went through its paperwork to be sure everything was in order.

“We had to send another letter to Historic Preservation saying that we wanted to include the detour road in our area,” Panem said.

“We’re still hoping we can get the letter from them to start September 28,” he said. “If not, maybe the first week of October.”

Once the project begins, the timetable to its completion remains the same: 180 working days, or about nine months.

The roundabout project was initially proposed in 2011 following the results of a DOT study that reported 40 major accidents at the intersection between 2004 and 2007, making the area one of the most dangerous in the state.

Email Ivy Ashe at iashe@hawaiitribune-herald.com.