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Copper thieves struck over the weekend severing fiber-optic cables in Kalihi that blacked out 24 traffic cameras servicing Kalihi and Kaneohe.
The cameras were not damaged, but without the fiber-optic cables the signal does not reach the Traffic Management Center and the public.
Knocked out of service were the cables servicing the airport viaduct east- and west-bound, on Fort Weaver Road, and all 18 cameras in Kaneohe.
The city Department of Transportation Services estimates that it will take 30 days to replace and repair the damaged cables at a cost of more than $10,000. The department is also looking into the feasibility of a temporary fix to get the cameras back online sooner.
The conduits carrying the cables are under the Middle Street bridge at Kamehameha Highway, and under H-1 freeway near Middle Street.
Anyone with information about the theft is asked to call the Honolulu Police Department.
