MEDIA RELEASE

Curb ramps in downtown Hilo, Kaiwiki Road repair, culvert work in Kona, and flood projects and maps are included in the County’s Department of Public Works’ project update.

Waimea
Under design for Waimea are the replacement of 21 curb ramps, 12 driveways and 2,603 feet of sidewalk in Waimea Town to comply with the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). Construction is scheduled to begin in the fall.

Kona
Repairs to the Nāpō‘opo‘o Road culvert, located on the mauka side of the road and marked with traffic cones, begins the end of May. Work will be from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m., weekdays. Ed Higa General Contracting was awarded the $28,000 contract.

Repairs to the Middle Ke‘ei Road culvert began May 11 and are expected to take two months to complete. Workers are in the area between 8 a.m. and 3:30 p.m. Ed Higa General Contracting was awarded the $93,000 contract, of which FEMA is paying $14,340. The project qualified for FEMA disaster funds as a result of the 2007 floods.

A public meeting for residents in the Keōpū-Hienaloli stream area on the Flood Damage Reduction Project Keōpū-Hienaloli will be at 6:30 p.m. June 4 at King Kamehameha’s Kona Beach Hotel.The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and the County of Hawai‘i Department of Public Works staff will discuss the feasibility study and environmental assessment to identify projects that could reduce flood damage caused by these streams.

Hilo
Construction began May 11 on four curb ramps at 141 Kalākaua Avenue in downtown Hilo to comply with the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). Site Engineering was awarded the $45,811 contract. The project is expected to be completed the end of July.

A section of makai bound lane on Kaiwiki road, 2.9-miles from the intersection of Wainaku and Kaiwiki Road in North Hilo, collapsed in April and left a hole approximately four feet wide by fifteen feet long. County personnel are building a bypass road on the Hāmākua side of the roadway while they rebuild the collapsed embankment. One lane remains open. Motorists should expect 20-minute delays between 8 a.m. and 5 p.m. Monday to Friday until the end of July. Please drive with caution.

Flood Maps
FEMA is revising the preliminary Digital Flood Insurance Rate Maps (DFIRMs) for the County of Hawai‘. A new set of DFIRMs will be issued late this year or early 2010 for public comment.