Question: When are they fixing the Waiahole bridge? It’s insufficient now, and the poi factory is bringing in more traffic.
Answer: The state hopes to replace the bridge in a project that would begin in about three years (December 2021) and take about two years to finish.
“The existing bridge is currently safe, but it should be replaced to avoid potential future safety issues,” according to a state Department of Transportation presentation to be delivered at a community meeting this evening.
The Waiahole Stream Bridge is on Kamehameha Highway, just south of Waiahole Valley Road and near the Waiahole Poi Factory, which serves Hawaiian food and hosts cultural events, according to its website.
The bridge was built in 1922 and doesn’t meet current design standards, with two narrow traffic lanes and no shoulders. Its foundation and piers are not suitable for repair, according to the DOT, and storm debris in the stream tends to clog there.
The DOT wants to widen the stream, replace the bridge and include a detour during construction to minimize lane closures. The new bridge would still have a single traffic lane in each direction (toward Kaneohe and Kahuku), but it also would have shoulders that could accommodate bicycles and pedestrians. An existing pedestrian overpass next to the bridge would be eliminated.
The project is estimated to cost $14.5 million, for a bridge that would last 75 to 100 years.
You can see the DOT’s presentation online at 808ne.ws/prez. The public is welcome at the meeting, which is to be held 6 to 8 p.m. today at the KEY Project, 47-200 Waihee Road, Room 102.
Q: Our lunch group was chatting about various topics, and health care came up. Not all of us are retired yet, but most are, and we asked them about Medicare costs. I was surprised at how different the premiums are, even for the basic coverage. Why is this? It seemed a bit awkward so we dropped the topic.
A: Monthly premiums vary depending on the Medicare options chosen. Since you described awkward conversation about varying costs even for basic coverage, it also could be that some of your lunch pals make much more money than others.
Medicare is the national health insurance program for people 65 and over, who fund the system during their working years via a payroll tax. There are several components, but we’ll limit this answer to two. Medicare Part A covers inpatient hospital, skilled nursing and some home health services, while Part B pays for physician services, outpatient hospital services, some home health services, durable medical equipment and other services.
The vast majority of Medicare patients don’t pay any premium for Part A coverage, because they or their spouse paid Medicare payroll taxes for at least 10 years, according to the U.S. Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, which oversees the program. But beneficiaries do pay monthly premiums for Medicare Part B, and the amount is based on their income.
In 2019 the standard monthly premium for Medicare Part B will be $135.50 for an enrollee whose individual tax return shows income of up to $85,000 a year (or $170,000 if filing jointly), according to CMS.
Beyond that the monthly premium rises. It will be $189.60 a month for those with income of up to $107,000 ($214,000 filing jointly), $270.90 a month for those with income up to $133,500 ($267,000 filing jointly) and so on, up to $460.50 a month for those with income of $500,000 or more a year ($750,000 filing jointly).
To estimate, learn more about what Medicare covers and how much it costs, go to medicare.gov.
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.
