State proposes Waiahole bridge substitute

The state Department of Transportation wants to replace the Waiahole bridge.

The replacement proposal comes following structural deficiencies on the bridge, which is located on Kamehameha Highway in Waiahole Valley, south of Waiahole Valley Road.

The Waiahole Bridge Replacement Project would realign about 1,000 lineal feet of the highway and construct the new bridge “adjacent to the downstream face of the existing bridge,” according to the DOT. The state also said that the intersection of Waiahole Valley Road and Kamehameha Highway will be “redesigned to accommodate the new highway alignment.”

Originally built in 1922, the current bridge is unable to handle the volume of traffic on Kamehameha Highway and lacks safety features under the American Association of State Highway Transportation Officials standards, like shoulders and pedestrian access ways.

“The purpose of the project is to meet current state and federal design guidelines, address bridge maintenance concerns, improve traffic safety for motorists, cyclists and pedestrians as well as meet projected demands on Kamehameha Highway,” the DOT said.

The proposed bridge replacement includes railings and access ways for vehicles, bicycles and pedestrians. While construction of the new bridge and highway alignment are underway, the existing bridge will remain in use. After construction is completed, the existing bridge will be demolished, including deconstruction of the center pier down to the mudline.

Talks regarding the bridge’s safety and potential repairs or replacements have been circulating for years. According to the DOT, a pre-consultation and community meeting were held in 2017 following safety concerns.

In late 2018, DOT held a series of community meetings to discuss replacement plan options. At one of the meetings at the Hauula Civic Center, the project’s preliminary design plan was presented to around 30 attendees. In response, several attendees discussed safety concerns around parking at the Waiahole Poi Factory, located adjacent to the bridge, with cars needing to back out directly onto Kamehameha Highway.

At the meeting, an alternate design plan that would move Kamehameha Highway away from the poi factory, creating a safe zone between the poi factory’s parking lot and the highway, was discussed. Then-Deputy Director of Highways Ed Sniffen planned to follow this design, realigning the highway, removing the existing bridge and building a new one over the Waiahole Stream. This plan is the one currently being implemented, and the department’s design team is “now in the process of designing the new bridge and realigned highway,” according to a statement from Evan Kimoto, a project manager at DOT.

Kimoto said a community meeting will be held regarding the proposed replacement, although no date or time has been set.

Kimoto said that the project will be put out as a design-build in the second half of 2024. There is no set timeline at this time for when construction will begin.