Sinking street means uncertain end date for Waialae repairs

A Honolulu city spokesman said it’s unclear when roadwork along the torn-up Waialae Avenue in Kaimuki will end because of water-logged conditions under the street.

Reconstruction and repaving work on Waialae Avenue was originally set to end in December 2013, Jesse Broder Van Dyke, a spokesman for Mayor Kirk Caldwell, said in an email.

However, after workers discovered sinkholes and “soft spots” below the surface, the contractor was given until the end of June 2014, Broder Van Dyke said.

“It is possible that the schedule could be extended further if they continue to run into soft spots that halt the project,” he added.

The work has closed down lanes and left the roadway a rumbling, bumpy ride along the major Kaimuki thoroughfare for well over a year, frustrating residents.

The Waialae work is part of a larger citywide effort to repave some 1,500 miles of city-owned streets in a five-year period. Road officials paved just under 400 miles last year, but many of those road ways were considered the easier, “low-hanging fruit,” city officials said.

Last year, as they touted being ahead of pace, officials overseeing the effort warned that some of the tougher projects, such as the ongoing work on Waialae Avenue, would take longer to complete.