2 lanes closed due to sinkhole in Kailua could reopen Monday

Motorists and businesses could see relief Monday from the sinkhole mess that has clogged traffic heading into Kailua town since July 11, city officials say.

Road crews working overnight Tuesday into Wednesday laid new pipe to replace the broken, corroded concrete sewer pipe that created the sinkhole at the intersection of Kailua Road and Hamakua Drive.

Shortly before 3 p.m. Wednesday they began filling the hole, about 20 feet deep, with what’s called "controlled low-strength material" — a type of concrete.

But crews still need to coat about 200 feet worth of sewer pipe below Kailua Road with a protective resin lining to prevent further ruptures, said Mark Yonamine, city deputy director of design and construction.

That lining isn’t slated to arrive on Oahu from the mainland until Friday, he said.

Crews with Frank Coluccio Construction Co. plan to install the lining inside the sewer pipes this weekend, he said, and on Monday the city aims to reopen the two Kailua-bound lanes that have been closed for nearly two weeks.

"It’s been ridiculous," said John Memering, chef-owner of Cactus, a bistro on Kailua Road just around the corner from the sinkhole. "It’s a mess."

Memering said his lunch business is down about 60 percent since the sinkhole appeared, and he is considering filing a claim for losses with Alexander & Baldwin, which he said owns the property where he operates his eatery.

About half a dozen customers dined at Cactus, as down the street parked construction trucks hummed loudly and crews poured backfill from a cement truck.

"It’s July, usually it’s bumping," Memering said of his business.

The segment of pipe that corroded was installed in 1958.

"Back in the day, it was cheaper to use concrete," Yonamine said.

Crews examined more of the pipeline along Kailua Drive to see if it needed to be replaced, but it "looks OK," Yonamine said.

Under requirements of its federal consent decree to fix Oahu’s aging sewer system, city officials are using closed-circuit video feeds to inspect the insides of sewer pipes across the island — an attempt to find any that need replacing before they break, Yonamine said.