Traffic cameras crippled by thieves should work soon

Question: I’ve just come back from vacation and can’t find any traffic cameras working on the west side. I live in Maka­kilo and go to Ford Island. It is a difficult commute made worse by the rail construction taking away our only alternative to the H-1 freeway. I was told by a co-worker that more cameras have been lost since 46 cameras went out in November when someone cut fiber-optic cables. Shouldn’t a notice be placed on the website indicating that loss? The site has only the three-minute refresh or operator intervention notice that is standard, but not true for the Pearl City cameras. When will the original 46 cameras, or the other cameras that are down, be restored? Also, how do I contact the Traffic Management Center to report traffic issues that have just happened?

Answer: The latest round of traffic cameras disabled by thieves looking for copper wiring should be back up within the next two weeks, said Michael Formby, director of the city Department of Transportation Services.

“Staff made the conduit repairs and are about to begin the fiber-optic cable splicing” for the latest outages, he told us Monday.

Cost of repairs is estimated at $10,000.

Authorities believe thieves looking for copper were responsible for knocking out 46 traffic cameras in November and 62 cameras at Christmastime, although the cables they cut were not made of copper.

The 46 cameras affected in November were up and running within a week.

Both times, the culprits struck at a site under the H-1 freeway near Middle Street.

In an attempt to discourage thieves, Formby said DTS staff will mark the repaired conduits “no copper” and “fiber-optic cable.”

He said the city also is considering installing barbed wire around the conduits because the site has been hit twice.

The traffic cam outages were widely reported, Formby noted, but he said he would see whether staff could easily post additional notices on the website.

To report traffic issues, the public should call 768-8387 during business hours, 7:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., or police at 911 after hours for traffic signal problems or emergencies. Calls to 768-8387 go to the DTS Traffic Signal office, which relays them to the Traffic Management Center, Formby said.

ALA WAI BIKE PATH

Those looking to reuse the Ala Wai Bike Path and other public areas closed off since the catastrophic rupture of a 42-inch sewer main beneath Kai­olu Street in Wai­kiki nearly eight years ago will have to wait at least until March or April.

That’s the latest word from the city, which had hoped to reopen those areas by the end of 2013 following completion of the Beachwalk Force Main project (see the Oct. 14 “Kokua Line” — is.gd/XTgGwq).

Contractors and city officials inspected the three city park areas affected by the project on Dec. 18.

All three are subject to a 90-day maintenance period before reopening to make sure there are no issues with newly installed irrigation systems, grass and replanted trees.

The Ala Moana Beach Park area at Atkinson Drive and Ala Moana Boulevard, and the park area behind the Ala Wai Recreation Center, at McCully Street and Kapiolani Boulevard, are in the 90-day period and expected to be inspected/accepted by the city in mid-March, said Chris Taka­shige, director of the Department of Design and Construction.

The Department of Parks and Recreation could reopen those areas at that time, he said. Those areas house some of the large shafts, now covered, that were built to accommodate the new sewer main.

The largest area, behind ‘Iolani and Ala Wai schools, needs additional work, Taka­shige said.

“The Ala Wai park area is still going through landscaping installation, and we are expecting the 90-day maintenance period to start later next week,” he said. “If this happens, the maintenance requirement would end around the middle of April.”

For updated information on the Beachwalk Force Main project, go to www.beachwalkforcemain.com or call 282-3440.

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Write to “Kokua Line” at Honolulu Star-Advertiser, 7 Waterfront Plaza, Suite 210, 500 Ala Moana Blvd., Honolulu 96813; call 529-4773; fax 529-4750; or email kokualine@staradvertiser.com.