The job of removing a large boulder perched atop the edge of a ridge above Niu Valley is expected to continue this morning after workers ran into a snag Saturday afternoon.
State officials had hoped to have the boulder, estimated to weigh between 7 and 10 tons, secured and pulled back by nightfall into a flat area away from the edge where it has been posing a threat to about 28 homes at the rear portion of Haleola Street.
Families living in those homes were ordered to vacate from Saturday morning until tonight and all but two households did so. State officials were hoping to be able to allow families back by dark Saturday, but additional concerns that arose nixed that plan.
The eight-man crew, consisting of state workers and contract workers, called it a night at about 7 p.m. after double-tying the boulder to secure it after it appeared the boulder had shifted momentarily.
As the workers labored through the day to secure and fasten the boulder, they realized that they also needed to either remove or make secure smaller rocks around it as a precaution in case they became loosened from the impact of moving the boulder, said Ed Texeira, state Civil Defense vice director.
By 3 p.m., a number of smaller anchors were installed in the rock ledge behind the boulder, according to Deborah Ward, a state Department of Land and Natural Resources spokeswoman. A cable was connected to each anchor with winches for manual tightening, she said.
Two sets of nylon straps each with capacity to hold up to 11 tons were wrapped around the boulder to “hug” it, Ward said. The boulder was then secured well enough that workers could use an air-anchoring drill to install larger anchors next to the boulder, she said. As the day ended, workers also encountered problems placing a mat, or sling, of ring-net around and over the boulder by connecting the straps to the anchors, Ward said.
Today, workers are expected to use the winches to inflate air pillows underneath the boulder at strategic locations to control and direct the boulder movement once the pulling begins, Ward said.
After the boulder is moved into a small flat area,
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SECTION Workers used straps Saturday to secure a boulder perched above Niu Valley homes. The state evacuated 28 homes on Haleola Street during the removal of two boulders, but considered seven homes particularly vulnerable because they are immediately beneath the boulders. workers are expected to break it into manageable pieces and then bag it for removal at a later date.
A second boulder, about 75 yards makai, is also slated to be removed. That work is expected after the first rock’s removal. But state officials said they now believe it will be safe for the residents to be home when that work is being done.
Families who refused to obey the evacuation order were asked by Civil Defense to sign waivers. Residents who asked to enter their homes temporarily on Saturday were allowed to pass after checking in with a police officer stationed at Haleola Street and Hoihi Place.
The Chun family, whose home’s carport was being used as a command post by Texeira, intended to spend the night at a relative’s house in Kuliouou. Lucy Chun said that at first it was jarring for the family to learn Wednesday that it would need to join other neighbors in finding other housing arrangements this weekend.
After spending much of the day observing the progress, however, Chun said, “In the long run, it’s better that they’re getting this done now.”
Tracy Akana, another Haleola Street resident, said it was “a little upsetting” to find out her home was considered part of the area that needed to be evacuated.
But after hearing Texeira explain that the cables and straps put in place made the boulder less likely to unhinge and land in their neighborhood, Akana said, “I suppose I feel better now than I did last night.”
In August 2008, pieces of the boulder broke off, crashed through a fence and sideswiped a house on Haleola before landing on the sidewalk.
Later that month, another two pieces of the boulder rolled down from Kulepiamoa Ridge onto Haleola, damaging a fence and drain hose, landing 6 feet from a house.
A 2009 law gave the governor the discretion to direct state employees to enter private property to deal with hazardous situations.
Area state Rep. Mark Hashem spearheaded the effort to secure $240,000 in capital improvement money from the Legislature for the boulder removal project.
The project is coming in at about $175,000. AECOM Earthtech is the consultant for the project. Janod Inc. is doing the actual removal.