WAILUA HOMESTEADS — Driving through Wailua Homesteads got a little less complicated for motorists on Wednesday.
The county Department of Public Works said it replaced the damaged Yasutake Bridge on Kamalu Road with a temporary structure, more than six months after the structure was shuttered because of safety concerns following a one-car accident.
“While the roadway is now open to traffic, the public is urged to observe the posted speed limit and all precautionary road signage when using this temporary bridge,” said County Engineer Troy Tanigawa in a statement on Wednesday.
“Speed humps were installed during this project to slow traffic speeds in the vicinity of the temporary bridge. Please also note that the temporary bridge is raised and includes steeper approach ramps to comply with floodplain requirements for the area, so motorists using trailers or low-profile vehicles are advised to drive cautiously or avoid using this temporary bridge.”
The scope of the work included the installation of a 60-foot Acrow bridge, signs, speed calming devices and additional paving work. Acrow bridges, which are typically found on construction, excavation and drilling sites, are used to divert traffic around or over such sites.
Yasutake Bridge was closed on June 10 amid safety concerns with critical scour conditions that affected the foundation. Further scouring was found four days later by Consor Engineers, a county consultant, after dive inspections.
That resulted in a recommendation the bridge be closed until a temporary bridge could be installed. Goodfellow Brothers was contracted for the bridge work.
The closure of the bridge meant that motorists could no longer use a stretch of Kamalu Road, which is part of county route 581. That forced motorists to detour via Opaeka‘a Road, Pu‘u‘opae Road and Olohena Road and, at times, created heavier traffic patterns through Wailua Homesteads.
Anyone with questions or comments may call the Department of Public Works at 808-241-4996 or email publicworks@kauai.gov.
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Wyatt Haupt Jr., editor, can be reached at 808-245-0457 or whaupt@thegardenisland.com.
