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The city’s $5.7 million, 500-day Waikiki sewer project has been backed up for a couple of months but is expected to get moving in May.
City officials are awaiting approvals for bypass lines before the work can begin, Markus Owens, communications officer for the city Department of Environmental Services, said in an email. The project was slated to start last month.
"I’m told the temporary bypass pipe will go in during the first week of May," Owens said.
Once the project begins, workers will repair manholes and fix sagging and clogged sewer lines in the heart of the state’s tourism district. Cured-in-place pipe technology will be used 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.
The cured-in-place pipe technology process will save the city money and lessen the inconveniences to Waikiki primarily by reducing the excavation and backfill that traditionally have been required to replace defective sewer lines, city officials have 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.
The city Wastewater Division said the work is needed because sewer inspectors have discovered heavy corrosion, cracks, holes and missing bricks.
After the sewer cleaning and bypass work, lining will start at the intersection of Kuhio and Kalakaua avenues and move toward Diamond Head, city officials said.
Intermittent loud construction noise, bad smells, road closures and other traffic disruptions are expected during this project.
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On the Net:
» www.waikikisewer.com
