Rail soil testing to close Kamehameha Hwy lanes in Pearl City

PEARL CITY — Lane closures related to nighttime soil sampling work for the Honolulu Rail Transit Project will begin Monday, September 19, the Honolulu Authority for Rapid Transportation (HART) announced today.

Work will consist of soil sampling and potholing along Kamehameha Highway between Pearl City and Aloha Stadium to locate existing utilities in preparation for construction of the second phase of the elevated rail guideway. Contractor Kiewit Infrastructure West Co. will conduct the pre-engineering work.

Testing the soil stability along the rail route will assist the contractor in determining the depth and location of concrete pillars needed to support the elevated guideway. The soil tests will be similar to those conducted last year for the first phase of the rail route from East Kapolei to Pearl City.

Work will include evening work along Kamehameha Highway between Kuala Street just west of Pearl Highlands Center and Kohomua Street just south of Aloha Stadium from 8 p.m. to 5:30 a.m. Sunday through Thursday and from 8:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. Monday through Friday. Soil sampling work will continue through April 2012.

Work will require some evening lane and intersection closures during these days and times, and the public is advised to proceed with caution in these areas. One lane of traffic in each direction of Kamehameha Highway will remain open at all times in the designated work areas. Safety crews or special duty police officers may direct traffic at affected intersections during the night work. Closures of side streets are not anticipated and local access to driveways will be maintained.

Motorists using Kamehameha Highway at night should anticipate possible traffic delays or use alternate routes during work hours.

For updates on construction work days and times, visit the project website at www.honolulutransit.org or contact our hotline at 566-2299.