With approximately 200 weathered steel components and 85 decking panels “exhibiting severe corrosion,” according to a new study, Aloha Stadium will require “at minimum” $30 million from the Legislature over the next two years to remain safe and operable, the Stadium Authority said Thursday.
The saturnine assessment and price tag followed the Stadium Authority’s discussion and adoption of a December structural and safety evaluation by its structural engineering consultant, Wiss, Janney, Elster Associates (WJE).
The 66-page report noted a “300 percent increase over the past two years in the number of (areas) classified as severely corroded.” It listed eight areas of the stadium as requiring repairs “immediately” or within the next 24 months.
“While the stadium currently meets health, safety and welfare standards, after 45 years in operation, repair and maintenance issues are mounting,” said Ross Yamasaki, chairman of the appointed nine-member board. “The latest report reveals some previously unidentified issues such as corrosion at the base of the diagonal cross bracing frames at the end zones. It also indicates that corrosion is accelerating, which is understandable as the stadium continues to age.”
The Stadium Authority said at least $20 million is needed for the 2020 fiscal year and $10 million for fiscal 2021, as aligned in Gov. David Ige’s budget request.
Aloha Stadium opened in 1975 at a cost of $37 million and was constructed, the report said, “using weathering steel, which requires a protective coating system (high performance paint) to prevent corrosion in the chlorine-laden Hawaiian environmental conditions.”
But, the report points out, “the weathering steel at the stadium was uncoated.”
By 1980, the report says, corrosion throughout the stadium and in primary structural areas had threatened the “integrity of the structure.”
Beyond the protective coating originally applied, it was not until 2009 that there was any significant rust mitigation effort. “At the present time, corrosion mitigation remains ongoing with the circa 1980s-1990s protective coatings in some areas of the stadium having aged beyond 30 years,” the report said.
“We predicted long ago, when we first started doing analysis assessments, that if we do not keep the corrosion in check, it will continue to grow exponentially,” said Chris Kinimaka, Department of Accounting and General Services (DAGS) planning branch chief. “What we are seeing is what we predicted, which is the exponential growth and intensity of corrosion.”
Kinimaka said no funds were appropriated by the Legislature for health and safety repair at the stadium in three of the last four fiscal years — 2019, 2018 and 2016.
Worsening conditions could force a range of safety options at the rapidly rusting venue.
“That could go as far as starting to close down sections of the stadium,” Kinimaka said. “I don’t know that we would start to cancel events. For example, certain sections of the end zone might not be allowed to be occupied. We would still conduct the event, just not sell as many seats.”
University of Hawaii football is the prime in-stadium tenant. Athletic director David Matlin, who attended the meeting, said, “I’m not overly concerned from what I am aware of right now.”
In the face of the latest report, the Stadium Authority said it will also need annual inspections instead of the biennial schedule previously required. The price tag for those is $200,000-$300,000 each, DAGS said.
“The maintenance and safety of the facility has always been our top priority,” said stadium manager Scott Chan. “That’s why we’ve been proactive about commissioning these assessments and evaluations, so we can identify and prioritize needed repairs.”
Several bills in the current legislative session propose building a new stadium adjacent to the current one on the 98-acre Halawa parcel to leverage transit-oriented development. Two bills propose a $350 million stadium but seek a public-private partnership built around ancillary development to reduce expenses.
If the bills pass this session, officials said under a “best case” scenario, a new stadium would likely not open until 2024 or 2025 at the earliest, meaning continued payments to keep the current facility operational.
Chan said, “Until the state takes action to redevelop the site and build a new stadium or explore other options, we must continue to maintain the facility to ensure Hawaii has a venue to accommodate large-scale community, entertainment and sporting events. It is our hope that the Legislature recognizes the importance of funding our budget request.”
The consultant’s report noted, “Our visual assessment found that essentially all of the original protective coatings, typically having a brown-colored top coat, at the observed weathering steel (areas) have deteriorated. Corrosion to varying degrees has resumed at almost every weathering steel (area) having original coatings that we observed. The degree of resumed corrosion was observed to be highly variable, ranging from mild to severe.”
Bernie Wonneberger of WJE said the stadium “is still safe, but we need to find out why it is corroding at the rate that it is now and what we can do.”
REPAIR PRIORITIES
Immediate repair list at Aloha Stadium:
Immediate repair
➤ Corroded diagonal braces at end zone concrete barriers
➤ Cracked welds in girder connections, line “F” in blue seating
➤ Seating plate repairs, sideline orange seating, selected locations
Required within 24 months
>> Corroded flanges in cantilever raker assembly
>> Severe corrosion at metal decking at lower concourse, multiple locations
>> Severe corrosion at concourse girders at escalator opening (replace escalators)
>> Severe corrosion at metal decking beneath lower- concourse toilet rooms
>> Severe corrosion at various connections and at various beam members, multiple locations
High priority
>> Seating plate repairs, sideline orange seating, selected locations
Medium priority
>> Seating plate repairs, selected locations throughout the stadium
>> Corrosion mitigation — brown-painted members throughout stadium (preventive maintenance)
Source: Aloha Stadium Authority
