The Hawaii Department of Transportation (HDOT) issued an emergency contract on June 19 for additional flood repair work on the Kuhio Highway aimed at stabilizing the slope above the highway, which is also known as Rte. 560, between Waikoko and Wainiha and various other downslope sites.
The agency also issued a separate contract to update the carrying capacity of Waikoko, Waipa, and Waioli bridges—known collectively as the "3W bridges"—to help expedite the Kuhio Highway recovery efforts as the existing structures are load restricted to 8 tons, which significantly limits the amount of landslide and other debris that can be removed from the area. Once upgraded, the bridges will be rated to 16 tons with emergency capacity of 25 tons.
Altogether, both projects are expected to cost $80 million, which HDOT said should be eligible for reimbursement through the Federal Highways Administration's Emergency Relief program.
The agency added that the emergency repair work on the Kuhio highway—caused by torrential rainfall on April 14—will continue on a six day a week, 10-hour a day schedule for the near future.
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Source: AASHTO Journal
