Officials going round about disagreement

KAPA‘A — It was supposed to be a quick fix for a poorly planned pedestrian path by the Kapa‘a roundabout. At least that’s what it sounded like 45 days ago when the county Department of Public Works addressed the Kaua‘i County Council.

Deputy County Engineer Ed Renaud said at a June 16 meeting that the goal was to have the roundabout ready before the beginning of the school year.

But classes began last week at Kapa‘a Middle School — located less than a mile up Olohena Road from the roundabout — while county workers were busy each morning doing construction there.

Additionally, a nearby crosswalk over Kahau Street that the state Department of Transportation allegedly painted in the wrong place was not moved back as officials indicated they would.

The council’s Public Works Committee chair, Tim Bynum, said crosswalks at roundabouts should be placed one-car length back before the entrance of the roundabout. It’s a safer design, allowing drivers to deal with crossing pedestrians, drive forward and then watch out for oncoming cars before entering the roundabout, he said.

Councilwoman Lani Kawahara told Renaud at the June meeting that she was glad to hear that the county was going to be “re-striping at the more appropriate spots on the state highway side, rather than when people are already making the turn into the roundabout.”

“Cars will come to the crosswalk first, watch for somebody, and then get to where they can go farther up and turn without worrying about people,” she said.

However, Renaud said Friday that when he faced council members in June he did not tell them that he was going to re-stripe the crosswalk. Instead, he said he merely agreed but still had to work together with the DOT.

DOT district engineer Ray McCormick was supposed to answer questions alongside the DPW at the June meeting, Renaud said. McCormick, however, said no one told him he was supposed to be there.

A DPW crew went ahead and poured a cement path last week connecting to the existing crosswalk on the curb and re-painted it.

McCormick confirmed that the crosswalk will be moved back one-car length.

Now, besides the crosswalk, the cement path will also have to be moved back.

“If I would wait for Ray (McCormick) to put up his signs, it would take something like three to four months,” said Renaud, explaining why his crew poured the cement path, even though it will eventually be redirected to where the crosswalk will be repainted. “There is miscommunication there.”

McCormick, however, said the state is not the hang-up.

“The county is doing the majority of the work, so we’re kinda relying on them,” he said.

Despite the miscommunication, McCormick said the agencies are strong partners and work closely together on a lot of projects.

Renaud agreed, saying the county and state have worked together several times and routinely share equipment. He praised the work of the DOT, saying they’re easy to work with but the county cannot override engineering designs by the state.

“Everything else is going to fall into place now,” Renaud said. All that DPW has to do is to establish a new curb ramp by the new crosswalk and build a new walkway slab connecting to the recently poured path, he said.

DOT design engineer Stanford Iwamoto and DOT maintenance engineer William Ortal supposedly had a meeting with Renaud earlier this week to figure out how to finish the project. McCormick said he knew of the meeting, but was unaware of the outcome. Renaud couldn’t be reached for further comment by press time.

Neither Renaud nor McCormick were able to provide the cost, but both said it wouldn’t be expensive. Neither official could say when the crosswalk would be moved back.

“If it was me, I’d bang it out before the end of the week, but with state it’s a little different,” said Renaud. Despite it being a “small thing to do,” the project requires collaboration with the DOT.

“I can’t give you a date … because I’m not exactly sure of what we’re going to do,” McCormick said.