The long process of bolstering Hilo Harbor’s cargo shipping capacity continues.
Construction work on the third phase of the ongoing Pier 4 project is on track to be completed in January, state Department of Transportation spokesman Timothy Sakahara wrote in an email. Construction work on the pier itself — the final stage of the project — is estimated to begin in December.
The pier project is one of several modernization projects being handled by the department’s Harbors Division in collaboration with the Hawaii Harbor Users Group.
When complete, the 602-foot-long reinforced concrete pier will be able to accommodate more modern container handling equipment — something the harbor’s interisland cargo pier, Pier 2, cannot do, because it was built in the 1920s.
The Pier 4 project began in 2011, when Hilo Harbor was dredged to make room for the new improvements and to accommodate future ships. Dredging of 8 acres was completed in 2012.
But the project stalled in its first year after petroleum-based contaminates were found in the soil of the container yard led to a five-month delay. An environmental health assessment, hazard evaluation and new management plan were completed according to Department of Health regulations.
The finished container yard will consist of approximately 10 acres for cargo operations, Sakahara said.
Part of the process involved reconstruction of Kumau Street to a four-lane road and improving the intersection of Kumau and Kalanianaole Avenue. A new access point for the harbor was created such that cruise ships based at Pier 1 would have more separation from cargo ships at other piers.
The current cost estimate for the entire project, including the roadwork, dredging and construction of the pier, is $68.5 million. In 2014, the state DOT applied for additional federal funding via the Transportation Investment Generating Economic Recovery program, but did not receive a grant.
Sakahara noted the figure was not a final one, since construction is not complete.
The entire harbor project is expected to be complete by April 2017.
Email Ivy Ashe at iashe@hawaiitribune-herald.com.