LIHU‘E — A project to repair and improve the Hanalei River bridge is set to be put out to bid in fall 2022 at an estimated cost of between $5 million and $10 million.
The bridge, currently considered to be in fair condition by the U.S. Department of Transportation, features corrosion at connection points, section loss, decay on the timber surface along with decay and water on stringers that support the deck.
“The Hanalei bridge is crucial to everybody living beyond Princeville to be able to get to work, to get home,” said Kaua‘i County Councilmember Felicia Cowden, who lives on the North Shore. “We have to make sure our bridge stays safe and is functioning. I’m very thankful that (it’s) getting fixed.”
Constructed in 1912, the bridge has long served as a gateway to the communities of Hanalei, Wainiha and Ha‘ena. Since its construction, it has undergone repairs and rehabilitations in 1934, 1967, 1973, 1980, and most recently in 2003.
“What we plan on doing is basically refurbishing the timber deck, doing rust-mitigation, replacing damaged tension rods, and cleaning and painting the entire structure to prevent corrosion in the future,” said Gary Iwamoto, director of construction services at KSF and who serves on the state DOT design-consulting team, at a meeting of the county Historic Preservation Committee.
A large part of the project will be the construction of a one-lane, temporary bypass bridge to handle traffic flow while the repairs are underway, which will be 175 feet in length and installed to the north of the current bridge.
The project is projected to create 58 to 87 jobs, according to the state DOT.
Once it breaks ground, the project is estimated to be completed in 180 workdays. Once a contractor is selected, the timeline for the completion of the bridge will become clearer.
Another project in the area — planned for further in the future — will stabilize the Kuhio Highway shoulder by hardening a 300-foot-long section of the Hanalei River bank adjacent to the highway.
That project is projected to be put out for bid in winter 2023 at an estimated cost of $1 million to $5 million.
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Guthrie Scrimgeour, reporter, can be reached at 647-0329 or gscrimgeour@thegardenisland.com.
