KAILUA-KONA — Erosion issues on Alii Drive in Kailua Village are being addressed and repairs are underway.
More than a week ago, the Hawaii County Department of Public Works placed a steel plate over eroding asphalt on the makai shoulder of the roadway across from Bongo Ben’s Island Café. Just on the other side of the seawall, a cavity several feet in diameter was exposed to the edge of Oneo Bay.
“It was damaged good,” said Highway Division Chief Neil Azevedo. “The road was undermining. I’m glad we caught when we caught it.”
For the past several days, crews have been working to repair the seawall by patching up holes and restacking rocks. Azevedo said work on the wall should wrap up today. On Monday, crews will then begin work on patching up the sidewalk.
The hope is that this fix will last for a while.
“It’s a fast fix, but hopefully it’s a permanent fix,” Azevedo said. “It’ll be safer after it’s done.”
Starting next week, workers will open the asphalt from the top and pour concrete a foot below the pipes to fill the cavity. They will then backfill it with sand and a flowable concrete mix known as CLSM.
Azevedo anticipates work to take about a week.
“Main thing is we don’t contaminate the ocean and keep things safe,” he added.