You sit, ponder, fume, wait, merge… you inch along. As the Rolling Stones once sang, “time waits for no one, and it won’t wait for me”. Yes, it’s traffic congestion redux, with serene, pandemic-vacated roadways fading in the headlights of yesterday. You got the left lane closed, you got the right lane closed- sing it to the tune of “The Hokey Pokey”, and yes, some people actually do turn themselves around.
Town-side Pali Highway, for one, has been under construction, or destruction, for four years now. Four years. It’s not that long (I mean the road)! Ever-informative Hawai`i Department of Transportations’ Deputy Director for Highways, Ed Sniffen, said that this multi-phase project should to be done by January, 2023. I appreciate the honesty… but I’ll believe it when I can drive it. Potholes, flying debris (cost me a windshield), speed bumps, metal grates (not great), uneven roadway, orange signs and cones, et al. But 10-months from now, electrical work, sewer and water pipe upgrades, curb repairs, gutter fixes, smoothing of roads will be done, pau, finito!
And after five years, the most satisfying part is that the stone matrix asphalt open graded mix (SMA) being used (the top two inches of the roadway) is soooo strong, it should last for 30-years! While SMA costs 50% more than traditional Hawaii mix IV modified asphalt, that material needed repairs about every seven years (actually, on the Pali Highway, three good/bad rainstorms in a month often necessitated reparations).
Pali Highway’s upkeep has been delayed by COVID, supply line and sewer conduit issues, and upgrading of curbs and gutters, which are completed first to ensure that subsequent road repairs can be level and symmetrical.
Check up on road projects in your area at the DOT’s Construction Projects website: https://highways.hidot.hawaii.gov/stories/s/9rg9-kd8i. Wondering about Wahiawa? Care about Kuakini Highway drainage? Mumbling about Mamalahoa Highway improvements? Weary about Waiawa? They’re all there, with “estimated” end dates plus further details. One important observation- polymer modified asphalt (PMA) road mix is now used on roads lying above utilities (it lasts 20-years) that may need to be torn up for aging conduit repairs. SMA and PMA are now required for all road repairs here going forward. Yeah!
The DOT report might not end road angst or your plans to read “The Iliad” while idling away, but hopefully you’ll see a light at the end of the roadwork tunnel.
Think about it…