Waianuenue Ave work slated to be finished by end of year

Construction work on Waianuenue Avenue is still on track to be finished by the end of December.

Steven Pause, acting director for the Department of Public Works, provided a brief update about the road rehabilitation project to a Hawaii County Council committee on Tuesday, where he said that, despite several days where work on the road was rained out, the project currently is on schedule to wrap up this year.

Pause said work on the Hilo road, which began in February, is “50 – 60% done,” with sidewalk reconstruction and road-striping still yet to be done.

Road-striping in particular was a concern among council members at a previous meeting two weeks ago, when several members noted that the project did not include bike lanes.

Pause said DPW is reaching out to “members of the biking community” as well as the Department of Education — the stretch of the road under construction passes three schools — to discuss what additions should be made to the striping on the road.

A decision about that subject will be made in about four to six weeks.

Hilo Councilman Aaron Chung said bike lanes would be a welcomed improvement to the road, but added that they should not be the priority.

“The reality is that the whole thing needs to be repaired primarily for vehicle traffic first,” Chung said, adding that the road has been in various states of disrepair for years. “We can’t compromise on that.”

Email Michael Brestovansky at mbrestovansky@hawaiitribune-herald.com.