Question: Some years ago, it was reported that the rail line could disrupt a 42-inch water main on Dillingham Boulevard. Did they ever mitigate that problem?
Answer: “HART is looking for alternate solutions so as to avoid having to relocate the 42-inch water line if at all possible,” said Bill Brennan, a spokesman for the Honolulu Authority for Rapid Transportation, which oversees construction of the elevated rail-transit system.
HART is relocating a 24-inch water line in the area and initially believed it also would need to relocate some, if not all, of the 42-inch main. “But now, in collaboration with the (Honolulu Board of Water Supply), we’re looking at alternatives to relocating it,” Brennan said.
HART considers this a task to be completed, rather than a problem to be mitigated, he said.
Kathleen Elliott-Pahinui, a BWS spokeswoman, said talks were ongoing.
“The Board of Water Supply is in discussions with HART on the alignment of the rail and potential impacts to the BWS infrastructure in the Dillingham corridor. The 42-inch pipe is the primary transmission main for water into metro Honolulu and we want to ensure that impacts are minimized, as well as doing upgrades to the infrastructure during the rail construction,” she said.
The underground main is alongside the future rail route from Middle to Liliha streets along Dillingham Boulevard, according to news reports from 2016.
Utility relocation work is already underway along Dillingham Boulevard “and other areas of what we refer to as the City Center section of the project, which runs from Middle Street to Ala Moana Center,” Brennan said Wednesday.
Utility relocation through that four-plus mile section is expected to continue through 2022, he said.
“HART and the city are currently in procurement for a public-private partnership to complete the building of the rail project through this section. That construction, of the elevated guideway and the eight rail stations, will likely get underway next year and run through 2024,” he said.
The entire system is to include 21 stations, on a route that runs from East Kapolei to Ala Moana.
Q: Are expired driver’s license and/or state IDs acceptable as proof of identification if one does not intend to travel?
A: No, generally not. Being asked to present a “valid ID” to obtain goods or services generally requires that the credential be unexpired. Obviously your driver’s license can’t be expired if you intend to use it for driving, but we understand that’s not the focus of your question. You’re asking about using your ID for other purposes, such as banking, obtaining senior discounts, etc. There might be exceptions, but the agencies and businesses we’ve checked with over the years have all emphasized the need for a valid ID.
Auwe
Auwe to the huge double-decker tour buses that idle outside homes next to Koko Head District Park so they can drop off and pick up their paying customers, who are climbing the Koko Crater stairs. Yet another example of Oahu’s residential neighborhoods being overrun by commercial operations! Auwe! — Fed up
E kala mai
My apologies for the outburst on King Street Wednesday morning. I was very worried about my dog. People don’t even look where they are going. — Embarrassed dog walker
Mahalo
Mahalo to the 99.9% of our motorists who are careful, courteous and considerate in their driving, making it safe for other motorists on the roadways. Auwe to 0.1% of the drivers who are careless, discourteous and inconsiderate, causing a danger to other drivers on our streets. — Aloha, E.K.
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.
