By TOM CALLIS
Tribune-Herald staff writer
Hawaii County has awarded a $6.4 million contract to ABHE and Svodoba Inc. for reinforcing the Reed’s Island bridge.
Construction is expected to begin this fall.
The aging bridge on Kaiulani Street in Hilo accesses about 40 homes but doesn’t meet current construction guidelines. It will be improved to allow it to carry emergency vehicles and better withstand earthquakes.
The work will involve replacing the wooden surface with steel beams and decking, adding concrete anchors to the foundation and installing lateral bracing.
The project is expected to last 11-12 months once a notice to proceed is issued, either in September or October, said county Public Works Director Warren Lee. The bridge will be closed for at least half that time, he said, and a detour route has been selected.
Lee described the detour as a “rough road” crossing private property and state land.
Residents used the same detour route last year when the county briefly closed the bridge to determine if it met state and federal standards.
The county is securing easements for use of the road again, Lee said.
That road may need to be leveled or have its vegetation cut back before it can be used, he said.
The state Department of Transportation is covering 80 percent of the project’s cost. The county is covering the remaining 20 percent.
Cres Rambayon, project coordinator, said the bridge was built in 1899 but it has gone through several renovations and upgrades since.
Lee said work crews will begin by securing the foundation. Then the bridge’s trusses will be reinforced.
The project will increase its load rating from six tons to 20 tons. Currently, fire trucks cannot cross, putting the homes and at least one business at risk.
“It’s been in need of repair for quite a bit of time,” Lee said.
On July 19, the county awarded the project, which is expected to extend the life of the bridge beyond 50 years.
Exact dates for construction have not been set. A preconstruction meeting will be held early August.
Email Tom Callis at tcallis@hawaiitribune-herald.com.
