Hilo commuters might face disruptions later this month during a long-awaited resurfacing project on Waianuenue Avenue.
Hilo commuters might face disruptions later this month during a long-awaited resurfacing project on Waianuenue Avenue.
For nine days, Waianuenue Avenue will be reduced to one lane only between Kamehameha Avenue and Kaiulani Street as workers repair the road’s deteriorated surface.
Barett Otani, information and education specialist for the county Department of Public Works, said resurfacing work is scheduled to begin Nov. 13 and, ideally, conclude Nov. 22, assuming optimal weather conditions.
Work will take place each day between 8:30 a.m. and 2:30 p.m.
Otani said the road will not be closed during construction, but lane closures, lane shifts and the presence of heavy machinery likely will cause delays in the area. Off-duty police officers will remain on scene to regulate traffic.
The project will entail a resurfacing of Waianuenue as well as the use of a cold planer, which will remove the road’s surface before repaving.
“The road’s been resurfaced so often the surface is getting too high for the curbs,” said Hilo Councilman Aaron Chung.
Otani said he hopes the project will be completed before Thanksgiving, so as to not interfere with the Christmas parade, part of which takes place on Waianuenue. However, he added that because work on the project will begin at Kamehameha Avenue and move inward from the ocean, the pertinent road section should be parade-ready even if the full project is not yet completed.
In addition, the construction times will hopefully avoid the peak hours of school commuters in the area, Otani said.
Chung said the project is an inexpensive “quick fix” that should wring another several years out of the roadway before a costly full reconstruction is needed.
The resurfacing project costs an estimated $175,000, Otani said, while a reconstruction likely would cost upward of $20 million in federal funds.
Otani said the project’s funding comes from revenue generated by a fuel tax increase in August. The increase is expected to generate more than $4 million by the end of this year.
A planned second phase of resurfacing will cover Waianuenue Avenue from Kaiulani Street to Kaumana Drive. Otani said the timeline for phase two has not yet been determined.
“We’re also hoping to work on a few other roads around town afterward, like Kamehameha,” Otani said.
Chung said he is “elated” that the long-discussed project is finally coming to fruition.
“I just want to give much thanks to the drivers and pedestrians — all the Hilo people, really — for their patience,” he said
Email Michael Brestovansky at mbrestovansky@hawaiitribune-herald.com