WAIPA — Instead of snow, November brought layers of a concrete-type substance to the roadside on Kauai’s North Shore as the state Department of Transportation prepared for anticipated high winter surf along Kuhio Highway in Waipa.
WAIPA — Instead of snow, November brought layers of a concrete-type substance to the roadside on Kauai’s North Shore as the state Department of Transportation prepared for anticipated high winter surf along Kuhio Highway in Waipa.
Work began on Nov. 17 and will continue through early this week, according to DOT spokesman Tim Sakahara. The goal is to prevent erosion and damage through the winter.
“The rocks are designed to reduce the impact from the wave action. The concrete in between the rocks is designed to prevent the soil and finer sediment from being pulled into the ocean during high-surf events, and is a preventative measure to help protect the roadway for the public,” Sakahara said.
The concrete and rocks will remain in place until additional repairs are necessary or a future shoreline protection project is funded, designed and constructed in this area, Sakahara said. These kinds of emergency repairs are uncommon, he said.
“The only other emergency shoreline protection repair conducted on Kauai in the last several years was in Kekaha in 2012 when a continuous concrete pile wall was constructed along the shoulder of Kaumualii Highway,” Sakahara said.
