• Olohena Bridge and the future Olohena Bridge and the future The Olohena Bridge situation presents two scenarios. One, due a quick job with a metal bridge. Two, take longer in building a concrete than bridge some residents of the
• Olohena Bridge and the future
Olohena Bridge and the future
The Olohena Bridge situation presents two scenarios.
One, due a quick job with a metal bridge.
Two, take longer in building a concrete than bridge some residents of the Wailua Homesteads – Olohena Road area are comfortable with.
Looking back at the history of metal bridges takes a trip to the archives, for almost all the metal bridges built on Kaua’i in the 20th century are now gone.
The Hanalei Bridge is still here – and made of steel – but only for aesthetic historic preservation reasons. The decision to construct the Hanalei Bridge as a replica of the circa. 1910s original bridge was a good one, but if you just looked at the practical side of bridge building, a concrete bridge would have worked better.
The renowned Kaua’i County Engineer J. H. Moragne experimented with the new technology of reinforced concrete in the first decades of the 20th century, with amazing results. His concrete bridges are still in use today at Waipa and Waikoko and other highway crossings on Kaua’i.
Moragne led in the building of our “Belt Road” that’s known today as Kuhio Highway and Kaumuali’i Highway. Bridges metal and concrete were part of the system.
The Olohena Bridge is a non-descript, low, flat bridge topped with deteriorating plywood. It serves one purpose – to get vehicles safely across the Olohena Stream.
Replacing it with a steel bridge might be a quick fix, but one that would relegate the bridge to the fate of Kaua’i’s other metal bridges of the past.
In this case we need to bare with some short-term inconvenience in order to have a bridge built that will last a long time into the future.
The federal funds are there for the concrete construction. We need to look ahead, do what needs to be done while the construction is underway, and build a bridge that will still be there in the 22nd century.
