Ala Wai project winds down with removal of pipes

Two temporary sewer pipes installed in the Ala Wai Canal after the massive 2006 sewage line break and spill are being removed this week as the city nears completion of a new $46 million pipeline beneath the canal, Mayor Peter Carlisle announced Wednesday.

The two 28-inch diameter pipes will be floated to the surface by the contractor, Frank Coluccio Construction Co., which will dismantle and salvage the pipes, the city said.

The 28-inch pipes are separate from a larger temporary pipe that floated to the surface of the canal closer to the Hawai‘i Convention Center last month. That 48-inch diameter pipe was resubmerged and will be removed after the final segment of the permanent new pipe is installed.

The new pipe — known as the Beachwalk Force Main Project — consists of five segments, four of which have been installed, Carlisle said. Specialized pipe for the final segment is scheduled to arrive this week, and the entire project is expected to be completed by January.

Overall, the Beachwalk project includes installation of 5,800 feet of new, 72-inch diameter pipe running from Ala Wai Elementary School, near the makai end of University Avenue, to the Moana Park Wastewater Pump Station at the Atkinson Street entrance to Ala Moana Beach Park.

It will replace the temporary plastic “black noodle” pipe that was installed after the force main break in March 2006 that resulted in the spillage of 48 million gallons of raw sewage into the Ala Wai Canal.

“Once this project is completed, we will have two reliable systems to transport waste water from Waikiki,” Carlisle said. Those systems include an existing 48-inch diameter pipe running beneath Ala Wai Boulevard and the new 72-inch diameter pipe.

Meanwhile, the city also has begun work on a separate $5.7 million project to renovate 6,000 feet of sewer lines in Waikiki under Kuhio Avenue between Namahana Street and Liliuokalani Avenue, said Lori Kahikina, city director of design and construction.

The project is expected to cause “noise, traffic and odor” in the area, but the city will attempt to mitigate the impact on residents, Kahikina said.

Mufflers will be used and noisier activity will be done in the day, she said. Travel will be reduced to one lane in each direction on Kuhio Avenue and parking on some side streets will be restricted. Some bus stops also will be renovated and special-duty police officers will be used to direct traffic flow and pedestrian traffic.

The contractor has begun preliminary work that has been suspended while traffic control patterns are being evaluated, Kahikina said.

The Waikiki Sewer Rehabilitation and Reconstruction Project is to be completed next summer.