Pace of street light repairs determined by safety, area

Question: I reported two street lights out on Hawaii Kai Drive, between Hahaione and Keahole streets, on Feb. 22 and was told there is a two- to three-week backlog. I was particularly concerned because road repaving is taking place in the area that is totally dark at night. This is a hazardous situation because of large machinery on the streets and no flashing or reflector lights. Can you help?

Question: In mid-December I reported the street light on pole No. 27 on Anonui Street, below Kaiamu Street in Waipahu, was staying on all day and all night. I was assured it would be taken care of but they wouldn’t be able to get to it until February. It’s now March — why hasn’t it been fixed? It’s wasting taxpayers’ money.

Question: I reported a problem with a street light on Nuuanu Avenue, between Oahu Cemetery and Nuuanu Memorial Park and Mortuary, in February. This is March and nothing has been done. The sidewalk is very uneven, so it would be appreciated if the problem was corrected. How long does it take to fix a light?

Answer: Generally, we advise readers to contact the city directly to report problems with street lights by calling the Department of Facility Maintenance at 768-5300 or going online to www1.honolulu.gov/csd/publiccom/fixit.htm.

(For lights on state roads, including freeway on- and offramps, call the state Department of Transportation at 831-6714.)

Because we received these three complaints about the same time, we asked Ross Sasamura, director of facility maintenance, if there was a backlog in repairing street lights and if he also could explain the process.

First, the situation in all three areas:

>> The Hawaii Kai lights were back on March 6. Sasamura said those lights involved repairs to a temporary overhead electrical line and that it "was more intensive than replacing an inoperative street light element," thus required more time.

>> A night crew checked the Nuuanu light reported "out" on Feb. 25 but found all lights operational in the area, Sasamura said.

It may be that the lamp was "cycling" — turning on and off — which happens when a light lamp is nearing the end of its life, he said.

Another crew was to recheck the light this week.

>> Regarding the light on Anonui Street: The reality is that light outages are given a higher priority than lights that are on all the time.

That said, "Saving electricity is important to the city, and process improvements are being implemented to respond to these concerns in a timely manner," Sasamura said. For now a crew will correct the matter "as soon as workload permits."

The public is asked to continue to report street lights that are on.

LIGHTING THE WAY

Facility Maintenance is responsible for approximately 52,500 street lights on Oahu. It has a crew of 19 linemen and apprentices to repair street and park lights and civil defense sirens.

"Public health and safety, and operational resources are two main factors in response time," Sasamura said.

Street light repairs are prioritized based on public health and safety, with damage to electrical equipment, including poles, as well as blackouts given first priority, he said.

Generally, repairs are addressed by area "to increase productivity by minimizing travel time," Sasamura said.

So if a light is reported out after an area has just been addressed, it generally will not be repaired until the next week.

"Typically, (Facility Maintenance) tries to address nonoperational street light reports within a one-week period," Sasamura said. "During fall and winter months, there may be a delay due to the high volume of reports received."

REPORTING PROBLEMS

Facility Maintenance depends on the public’s help in responding to street light problems.

During regular hours, street light staff will answer calls to 768-5300. After hours and during holidays, an answering service takes over.

The more information that is provided, including an address, proves "extremely helpful" in facilitating repairs, Sasamura said.

If the light is at an intersection, for example, give the name of the street the light is on, the name of the intersecting street and the corner the light is on — e.g., mauka-Ewa corner.

Each city street light has a unique ID number on the street side of the light, Sasamura said. The number is not required, but can help crews locate the light faster.

Also, provide a name and phone number in case the staff has questions.

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.