The Waiaka Bridge replacement project could be back on. ADVERTISING The Waiaka Bridge replacement project could be back on. Lawmakers approved a two-year state budget Tuesday that includes $6 million for planning and land acquisition. The bridge is located near
The Waiaka Bridge replacement project could be back on.
Lawmakers approved a two-year state budget Tuesday that includes $6 million for planning and land acquisition.
The bridge is located near the intersection of Kawaihae and Kohala Mountain roads in Waimea.
While no construction funds are included, state Department of Transportation spokeswoman Shelly Kunishige said the funding would allow the department to do a new environmental assessment.
A draft EA published in 2011 was pulled more than a year ago. Transportation officials said that was a result of “new circumstances and information that require additional studies.”
It wasn’t immediately clear what else a new EA would assess. Kunishige said the whole document might not need to be replaced, though consultation efforts would have to be redone.
Actress Roseanne Barr had opposed the project. Her Big Buck Trust owns the neighboring Kamuela Museum.
The previous EA labeled the 26-foot-wide bridge, built in 1932, as structurally deficient.
It said the project would involve realigning the approach to the bridge to increase sight distances and improve hydrology of Keanuiomano Stream. The bridge is about 38 feet long.
The document gave the bridge a “sufficiency rating” of 26 out of 100.
The earlier EA said the new bridge would be 53 feet wide and 80 feet long to comply with current standards for lane width, shoulders and pedestrian access.
Email Tom Callis at tcallis@hawaiitribune-herald.com.
