KILAUEA — Puffs of dust resembling steam poofed as the giant jaws crunched during the Kilauea Bridge demolition, yesterday. “The technology we have today is amazing,” said Eli Brainerd, president and owner of Pacific Concrete Coring & Cutting. “There is
KILAUEA — Puffs of dust resembling steam poofed as the giant jaws crunched during the Kilauea Bridge demolition, yesterday.
“The technology we have today is amazing,” said Eli Brainerd, president and owner of Pacific Concrete Coring & Cutting. “There is only a little noise, and for the most part, it’s only when we interchange with the hammer to create holes where the pinchers can bite.”
Demolition of the Kilauea Bridge on Kolo Road began in earnest, yesterday morning, and will take about a week and a half to complete, Brainerd said, whose firm has been subcontracted by Kiewit Pacific Co. for the demolition phase.
One of the supervisors for Kiewit Pacific said the replacement bridge will be a single-span bridge with a sidewalk.
While researching the history of the bridge, Rhiannon Morales of Pacific Concrete said she found out it was built in 1913.
“It was all by hand at that time,” Brainerd said.
The middle span will be taken out, and remnants of the older bridge made of stone will also be removed.
Brainerd said all of the material from the demolition project will be recycled.
“The steel from the structure will all be shipped off-island for recycling,” Brainerd said. “The concrete and asphalt and other debris will be taken back to the baseyard, ground up and re-used in other projects here on the island. Everything will be recycled.”
As the operator for the giant Komatsu crane that alternated between a pneumatic jackhammer and the giant pincher with crushing teeth, Brainerd said the demolition work goes pretty quickly.
Once the new bridge is in place, he said the flow of Kilauea Stream will be improved due to the removal of the center support span as well as the accumulation of rocks and dirt which forced the stream to the far side of the bridge.
During the demolition work, the Kiewit Pacific supervisor said Pacific Concrete workers make periodic quality checks on the water in Kilauea Stream.
“Everything is contained,” Brainerd said. “The water outside the barriered area is clean.”
Work on the replacement bridge started in early March and is expected to be completed by January 2009 at a cost of $12.8 million.
Of that amount, $10.2 million was derived from federal Highway Administration funds administered by the state Department of Transportation, and $2.6 million will be the county’s share.
Since it was constructed in 1913, with the advent of newer, larger cars and trucks, the bridge was limited to just one lane of traffic.
The replacement bridge, according to specifications in Senate Bill 1719, will measure 35 feet wide by 110 feet long to replace the current bridge which measures just 20 feet wide and 92 feet long.
