HILO — Kuhio Kalanianaole Park in Keaukaha will close on Tuesday for waterline improvements as part of ongoing road work along Kalanianaole Avenue.
The park will reopen Saturday.
The road project is a joint effort of the state Department of Transportation and county.
Improvements are being made to enhance roadway capacity and operations as well as safety for motorists, bicyclists and pedestrians, county Public Works spokeswoman Denise Laitinen said.
According to Laitinen, work will widen Kalanianaole Avenue from Kanoelehua Avenue to Kuhio Street to allow for a concrete sidewalk on the makai side, a paved shoulder on the mauka side, bicycle lanes in each direction, one through lane in each direction, a shared turn lane and installation of a 12-inch diameter waterline.
Laitinen said last Friday that overhead electrical and telephone utility relocations are nearly complete and work is ongoing to relocate underground utilities as needed to complete drainage improvements and the makai concrete sidewalk before starting the waterline installation.
“Currently, work is focusing on the makai side of the street,” she said. “In the coming months, a one-way traffic pattern will be implemented on Kalanianaole Avenue during the installation of a water line. During the installation of the water line, roadway improvements, including drainage and paving, will be made on the mauka side of the street.”
The $18.38 million project began in March 2018 with an anticipated completion date of October 2020, weather and construction conditions permitting.
The original project budget was nearly $17.1 million, with the County’s costs totaling just more than $12 million and the state’s costs totaling nearly $5.1 million.
While a change order was added for a waterline running from Verna’s Drive In to the Harbor, bringing the overall cost of the project to $18,377,766.76, the county’s cost has remained the same at $12,003,291.76.
Email Stephanie Salmons at ssalmons@hawaiitribune-herald.com.
