UPDATE: Repairs to the Kaiwiki Road Bridge are complete and the road is open to all traffic.
UPDATE: Repairs to the Kaiwiki Road Bridge are complete and the road is open to all traffic.
—————
UPDATE: Work on the bridge is ongoing and traffic is being allowed through on a limited basis. Motorists are asked to use caution in the area.
—————
A crew with the County of Hawaii Department of Public Works are currently working to make repairs to the Kaiwiki Road Bridge, which was damaged early Friday morning.
According to Director Warren Lee, public works employees damaged the decking of the bridge while moving a road grader.
“Repairs are in progress, and hopefully by late this afternoon the bridge will be reopened. In the meantime, we’ve asked Civil Defense to look for alternate routes,” he said. “The bridge, right now, is passable by foot traffic, but once we start to replace the decking, it will be closed until the repairs are done.”
Civil Defense Administrator Darryl Oliveira said at 9:40 a.m. that his department had notified key response agencies, including fire and police, that if there’s any request for emergency assistance, they will have to use alternate routes through private properties in the area.
“We also have helicopters to provide transport over the river if needed. We do have contingencies in place,” he said. “But right now, the idea is to open up the bridge as quickly as possible.”