The southbound lane and sidewalks of Alii Drive in the heart of Kailua Village will remain closed through at least month’s end.
The project, which began last month, is reconstructing a portion of Alii drive, including the addition of a concrete cutoff wall, to prevent damage to the road caused by water passing through the seawall, according to Department of Public Works Spokesperson Sherise Kana’e-Kane.
“Based on observed damages, it was inferred that water was likely passing through the seawall and creating voids and uplift at Alii Drive, resulting in damage to the road and potentially dangerous situations,” she said. “The work being done is an effort to prevent water from traveling under Alii Drive and to repair existing damage.”
Kana’e-Kane said the damage to the road has likely been affected by tidal and regular wave action and it is not known if there was any damage caused by the 2011 tsunami, which impacted the seawall as well as Alii Drive, particularly fronting The Fish Hopper where the road has been uplifted amid high surf several times over the years since the natural disaster.
Repairs are expected to take up to four weeks to complete but that timeframe may be affected by weather and the condition of the road subgrade once further assessment is made, she said.
The repair project is being performed by Jas. W. Glover, Ltd., at an estimated cost of $230,000.