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Question: What do those road ratings mean exactly? Does “poor” mean ‘don’t drive there’?
Answer: No, the rating reflects the general condition of the pavement — how smooth a ride it allows — not the road’s overall safety, according to the state Department of Transportation.
Wednesday’s Kokua Line column (808ne.ws/118kline), answered a question about how data is collected for the pavement-condition map that is one feature of the state’s Highway Program Status Map. The map, at 808ne.ws/pavcond, also includes information about traffic counts, fatal crashes and projects on state roadways. Today’s questions follow up on that column.
The ratings signify how a stretch of state road feels to someone driving or riding on it, based on the amount of rutting, cracking and faulting. The map of state roadways in the main Hawaiian Islands is color-coded: Green means good, yellow fair and red poor.
“In layman’s terms, ‘good’ roads are those that are smooth with few bumps or depressions; ‘fair’ roads are comfortable with intermittent bumps or depressions; and ‘poor’ roads are uncomfortable with frequent bumps or depressions,” said Shelly Kunishige, a spokeswoman for the DOT.
The evaluations “do not necessarily tie into the structural integrity of the roadway, but the evaluation criteria can serve as an indicator of future deterioration,” she said.
For example, rutting — a depression in the road caused by wheel wear — can lead to cracking, which can lead to potholes. Faulting, a difference in height between pavement sections, indicates heavy traffic loads and potential deterioration.
Q: Looking at the map, there are hardly any “good” roads. Only the Big Island has a long line of green (good). Oahu has a little green, some red (poor) and mostly yellow (fair). Is DOT trying to get to green statewide?
A: No, that would be too costly and mean upgrading roads that are safe to drive, if not perfectly smooth, according to the DOT. Intermediate measures, such as sealants, can help maintain acceptable conditions without allowing a road to worsen.
“HDOT is in the process of implementing a pavement-management system to efficiently use our limited road maintenance assets. Having all roads in ‘good’ condition would necessitate reconstructing or resurfacing roads before getting full value from the installed pavement and treatments such as crack or fog seal,” Kunishige said.
“Treatments such as various types of seals, depending on the road-condition factors, will ensure a more economical and efficient use of resources toward maintaining (a roadway) over the long term, instead of allowing it to deteriorate into poor condition and then having to do a costly full reconstruction or rehabilitation.”
DOT’s pavement-rating system aligns with the Federal Highway Administration’s thresholds.
E Kala Mai
To the young man who was walking a small white dog on Ohaha Street in Kaneohe around 8 p.m. on Sunday. I am so sorry that our dog got away from us when his tether broke and he took off after your dog. I apologized and tried to find out if your dog was OK, but you took off so quickly that I couldn’t find out what happened. I tried to find you to see if you needed anything, but don’t know exactly where you live and wasn’t able to track you down. We really hope your dog is OK. Again, our apologies. — Kaneohe senior
Mahalo
On Oct. 16, after the TSA check at the airport, my husband couldn’t find his ID. A kind and nice young man by the last name of Peters, according to his TSA badge, helped us so patiently look for it and found it. We want to thank him and wish him the best. — Grateful seniors, G. and A.K.
Write to Kokua Line at Honolulu Star-Advertiser, 7 Waterfront Plaza, Suite 210, 500 Ala Moana Blvd., Honolulu 96813; call 529-4773; fax 529-4750; or email kokualine@staradvertiser.com.
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