Board of Water Supply says ‘no’ to night time water main work

NORTH SHORE—The City and County of Honolulu’s Board of Water Supply (BWS) has rejected North Shore residents’ requests to reschedule a water system improvement project along Kamehameha Highway, which has resulted in severe traffic congestion since it began on March 22. In response to community outcry at recent North Shore Neighborhood Board meetings, Councilmember Donovan Dela Cruz sent a letter to BWS requesting that the water main construction be done at night.

The construction is replacing both a major 16-inch transmission main and an 8-inch distribution main that serve the North Shore. The BWS said that the work is “needed to ensure the continued availability of a safe and dependable water supply.”

However, the construction is expected to continue until February 2011, during and after the busy North Shore surf season that draws a huge influx of both locals and visitors. Commuters say that due to the water main traffic, the drive from Sunset Beach to Haleiwa has been anywhere from 45 minutes to an hour-and-a-half.

Dela Cruz wrote: “I have recieved numerous phone calls and emails complaining about the long traffic delays, and how the BWS, contractor, and police have been addressing the traffic flow.”

The traffic is affecting what the councilman referred to as “thousands of people,” with traffic being backed up around Waimea Bay, and past Ehukai Beach Park. In the letter, Dela Cruz also pointed to the large influx of people during the North Shore surf season.

Dela Cruz requested the BWS “to adjust the construction contract and require the main replacement be done at night.”

In a response letter, BWS manager and chief engineer Wayne Hashiro explained that although they had considered having the work done at night, the “noise caused by this kind of construction work is not allowed after 10:00 p.m. in residential areas and homes are located directly adjacent to the project area.”

Hashiro said that the State Department of Transportation allowed the contractor to adjust their working hours to 7:00 a.m. through 1:30 p.m. to assist in alleviating afternoon traffic. Yet community members say that while the time change may help afternoon traffic, it has only increased morning school and work traffic. Residents maintain night work would be best.

BWS has set up a website and hotline which they say is dedicated specifically to the North Shore project to help keep residents informed.

It has been suggested that visitors may want to consider car pooling, and North Shore residents may benefit from other modes of transportation like bicycles while community locally for the next six months.

Visit Boardofwatersupply.com and click the BWS North Shore Project link to obtain updated project information and call the hotline number at (808) 748-5350 or the City at (808) 748-5730 for information on construction.