Highway widening project will pay off
Mark Chesler’s recent letter to the editor criticizing the Queen Kaahumanu Highway widening project was way off the mark. He unfairly criticizes that seven people are supposedly standing around, and these individuals are the only people working on this $128 million project. Then he states this is why its taken so long to complete these improvements, and as a result increased the cost.
Goodfellow Brothers started actual construction in September 2015. They will be wrapping up this 5.2 mile project in a few months. This is much shorter time frame than Mr. Chesler stated in his letter to the editor. It took Hawaiian Dredging Construction Company approximately three years between 2006 and 2009 to widen 3.5 miles of Queen Kaahumanu Highway for a historical comparison.
Goodfellow has faced a lot of challenges with this project, but has made amazing progress since January 2017. Grace Pacific, their paving subcontractor started paving this project in March 2017 and wrapped up the majority of the paving work on Monday. Their work included cold planing the existing highway between the airport and Hina-Lani Street, paving a new lift on that asphalt pavement, paving new southbound lanes between the airport and Kealakehe Parkway, and completely repaving the existing highway between Hina-Lani Street and Kealakehe Parkway.
This was all done in a timely manner – even though the availability of a key ingredient in hot mix asphalt was a limiting factor. Asphalt binder, a critical component in asphalt, is only produced on Oahu and has to be barged in.
This project has faced a lot of challenges during construction phase. However, I firmly believe the hard work that Goodfellow, and their subcontractors, is paying off. As a result, this highway project will be a amazing showcase for the state Department of Transportation, and West Hawaii.
Aaron Stene
Kailua-Kona
Hardly a report card to bring home
Whilst the daily war between leftists and capitalists continues in the letters and My Turn columns of WHT, other more pertinent realties that directly affect all of us, regardless of political leanings, hide below the radar. To wit: CNBC recently unveiled its 12th annual “America’s Top States for Business” study. Sadly Hawaii ranks 47th out of 50.
The study utilizes 10 critical categories for evaluation and gives a letter grade for each. Hawaii has only one category above C minus, (Quality of Life). Four of 10 are flat-out Fs (Cost of Doing Business, Technology and Innovation, Access to Capital, Cost of Living). Hanging in at D minus is Business Friendliness and then we have Infrastructure at D plus. Education and Economy are each rated at C minus. Hardly a report card to bring home.
One must ask why would anyone in their right mind seek election to govern over this disaster? Especially, when they never mention in their heartfelt campaign speeches our bankrupt rail system, $25 billion in unfunded liabilities, 500 doctor shortage, runaway homelessness, traffic gridlock, unaffordable housing, millions in deferred maintenance and repairs of state facilities and equipment etc. etc. You make your own list.
As always the governing class, once elected, will have the same solutions: raise taxes and borrow more money. Kick the whole mess down to the next generation. Auwe!
Jim Higgins
Puuanahulu
Kids of Hawaii NEI seek support for TMT, Hokule’a
Who we are and why we choose to get actively involved in the controversy that is taking place on Maunakea:
We the Kids of Hawaii NEI are a drug and underage drinking prevention program. It was created by a group of kids from the coffee fields, ranch lands and fishing villages of South Kona and Ka’u in 2002. At that time, both districts shared the highest rate of crystal methamphetamine use per capita in the nation as well as the highest teen pregnancy and high school dropout rates in the state of Hawaii. Since then, our kids program has worked tirelessly with the community support groups such as schools, churches, sports, business, judicial, military and government.
Since these local activists choose their ancestral background and religion to gain support for their cause, let’s take religion to its highest order “God Almighty” the creator of our universe and everything therein including Maunakea. Intelligently and logically speaking, perhaps in his creation process God meant to have Maunakea serve as a platform by which mankind would one day be able to study and enjoy the many wonders of the universe that he created.
As of late, we have watched with growing concern and horror over the many unjust and cruel events that are happening throughout our world communities; the killing of innocent children in schools, killing of innocent people in their workplace and now the separation of innocent children from their families along our nations southern border.
At this point in time, we find that our hypocrisy will not allow us to sit by passively and allow a group of local activists to obstruct the completion of the TMT project on Maunakea and deprive us kids of an opportunity to gain knowledge of our universe from a wonderful scientific and educational endeavor such as the TMT project. Furthermore, the TMT project and Hokule’as worldwide voyage are well connected.
For the TMT project supplies the theory while the Hokule’a Worldwide Voyage supplies the fact that the early Polynesians were great seafarers who used their knowledge of astronomy to navigate vast areas of the Pacific to discover Hawaii long before Columbus discovered America.
Therefore, at this point in time. We the Kids of Hawaii NEI call upon our kupuna and Hawaiians throughout the world to join us kids in the support of the TMT project and Hokule’a’s Worldwide Voyage.
The Kids of Hawaii NEI