500-day repair project due for sewer lines in Waikiki

Intermittent loud construction noise, bad smells, road closures and other traffic disruptions will accompany an upcoming $5.7 million, 500-day Waikiki sewer project to repair manholes and fix sagging and clogged sewer lines in the heart of the state’s tourism district.

The project, slated to begin in mid-March, will use cured-in-place pipe, or CIPP, technology to rehabilitate about 6,174 linear feet of pipes under Kuhio Avenue from Namahana to Kapuni streets. The city will also improve 32 sewer manholes throughout Waikiki. Repairs will stretch across a 738-acre section of Waikiki that is home to about 20,000 residents, 75,000 tourists and 30,000 workers.

A decade or so ago, news that work on a massive sewer project would begin as spring-break crowds arrive in Waikiki might have caused a chorus of complaints from neighborhood businesses and residents. To be sure, some people are already disgruntled about the inevitable inconveniences that will stretch beyond Hawaii’s peak tourism seasons into next year. However, with bad memories of Waikiki’s past sewer problems still fresh, others in the community welcome the needed repairs.

"We still remember what happened in 2006 when the breaks in the line on Kaiolu Street caused millions of gallons of raw sewage to be dumped in the Ala Wai," said Robert Finley, chairman of the Waikiki Neighborhood Board. "I think people know how important the sewer repairs are; we don’t want sewage in the canal or backing up into our homes and hotel rooms."

The work is about 15 years overdue, Finley said. The city postponed repairs after the Waikiki community complained that it did not want the accompanying noise and odor, he said.

"But we all learned when the Kaiolu line broke that we’ve got to maintain our district," Finley said. "If anybody sees pictures of the clogged-up sewers that the city wants to fix, they would instantly want it done."

In the past several years, the neighborhood board has supported large projects ranging from the Waikiki Beach Walk to renovations at the Hale Koa, the Outrigger Reef, the Sheraton Waikiki, The Royal Hawaiian hotel, Hilton Hawaiian Village and more, Finley said. Strong infrastructure is critical to Waikiki expansion, he said.

"We need to make sure that we have the carrying capacity," Finley said.

The sewers within Waikiki and the entire county are continually being assessed and repaired, replaced or rehabilitated, said Lori Kahikina, director of the city Design and Construction Department.

The city and Hilton Hotels are talking about the possibility of a new 30-inch sewer line from the Hilton Hawaiian Village, along Ala Moana Boulevard, to the city’s Fort DeRussy Wastewater Pump Station on Kalakaua Avenue, Kahikina said.

"Although there are no other major Waikiki sewer projects programmed within (the next five years), sewer maintenance and repair activities will continue to occur," she said.

As for now, the latest planned sewer project is needed to maintain the structural integrity of the system and reduce inflow/infiltration, said Glenn Okita, who recently presented plans to the neighborhood board on behalf of the city’s wastewater division. Inspectors have discovered heavy corrosion, infiltrations, cracks, holes and missing bricks, he said.

"The project will reduce the risk of sewage spills," Okita said.

After the sewer cleaning and bypassing work, lining will start at the intersection of Kuhio and Kalakaua and move toward Diamond Head, city officials said.

The cured-in-place pipe technology process will save the city money and will lessen the inconveniences to Waikiki primarily by reducing the excavation and backfill that traditionally have been required to replace defective sewer lines, Kahikina said.

In the process, resin-coated felt tubing is pulled into the damaged pipe and hot water or steam is circulated to cure the resin and form a tight-fitting pipe within a pipe. A robotic cutter is then pushed through the pipe to restore connections. Finally, a closed-circuit camera is inserted into the pipe to inspect the work.

"Although significantly less disruptive than the traditional open-cut alternative, the CIPP will have impacts," Kahikina said.

For starters, the CIPP is a continuous process that requires night work, Okita said. The project, which utilizes heavy equipment, also will cause noise, traffic disruptions and odor, he said. Bypass operations will restrict parking on some side streets and cause nearby bus stops to be relocated, Okita said.

Sections of two lanes on Kuhio Avenue will be closed during the day and from one lane at night, he said. At all times, one lane in each direction on Kuhio Avenue will remain open, Okita said.

The use of heavy construction equipment, power tools, pumps, compressors and generators will exceed the Department of Health’s maximum daytime and evening noise standards, he said.

"We requested a noise variance so that we could work 24 hours a day, seven days a week," Okita said.

Noisier jobs such as bypass installation, sewer cleaning, liner installation and manhole rehabilitation are planned for daytime, he said. Mufflers and enclosures also will reduce noise, Okita said.

Still, neighborhood board member Mark Smith said he is opposed to allowing unrestricted noise in an already loud region.

"I find it beyond belief that the state would grant a variance to exceed the noise ordinance without a limit. No one is going to be able to sleep," Smith said. "What happens if a resident calls and says it’s really noisy? You can’t call anyone because they’ve been given carte blanche to exceed noise levels."

Waikiki resident Ann Robinson said she and other community members dread the start of yet another Waikiki project — even one that is needed.

"It’s a constant construction zone," Robinson said. "We just went through months of it before President Obama arrived and now it’s starting again. Noise is the No. 1 problem on Waikiki Beach. That’s what most of the hotel reviews complain about."

While the project could affect Waikiki tourism, the full effect remains to be seen, said Shari Chang, senior vice president of sales, marketing and revenue management for Aston Hotels & Resorts, which operates eight hotels in Waikiki.

Kuhio Avenue hotels are more likely to be disrupted than those on Kalakaua Avenue, she said.

"Guests are usually accepting if they know what to expect in advance. No one likes surprises," she said. "If it’s a hotel project, generally guests aren’t as understanding as they are about city or state projects; most realize that those are out of our hands."