Farrington Highway Two-Lane Closure to begin 5/5/09

Aloha,

We wanted to give you a heads up that the Board of Water Supply (BWS) has reached the first section of roadway that will require two-lanes of traffic to be closed as part our vital water system improvement project in Nanakuli town. The first two-lane closure will begin on May 5^th, and will close two lanes of Farrington Highway just west of the Verizon Hawaii Cable Station. The work is expected to take about two-three weeks to complete and will happen during regular construction hours, 8:30 a.m.- 3p.m. This is the first of four sections along Farrington Highway that will require two-lanes to be closed.

Once that area is finished, crews will close one lane on Farrington Highway and work Honolulu-bound towards Black Rock and then will work Waianae-bound until after the school session ends. The ongoing contra flow pattern will continue whenever only one lane of traffic is closed. Then after June 8, 2009 crews will work on the second two-lane closure section, which will be at the Nanakuli Avenue intersection. This is being done to help minimize traffic impact during the busy school season. Crews will try their best to finish this work before the fall school semester begins.

Engineers are in the process or redesigning the water lines for the other two-lane closure sections so we do not have start dates and durations for those areas at this time. We will notify the community two weeks prior to setting up the two-lane closures in these areas. As with all of our construction work, the schedule is our best estimate - unforeseen circumstances such as a storm or any unanticipated emergency work may impact construction schedules. We will all work our hardest to stay on schedule and notify you and the community if there are any major changes to the schedule. Attached is a map, which indicates in red where the two-lane closures will be.

The BWS recognizes that Farrington Highway is the only way in and way out of the Leeward Coast and understands how frustrating it is for residents who have to drive through the construction areas. The BWS will continue to do everything possible, in accordance with approved traffic control plans, to try to keep the traffic moving and will continue to coordinate with HECO and the State Department of Transportation. Special duty police officers will be placed at selected traffic lights and/or around the construction zone to help direct traffic and have been instructed to keep traffic flowing to the best of their ability.

The BWS has also created a special website and hotline for the community which provides weekly project information, which is updated every Friday. To access the information, visit www.boardofwatersupply.com and click on the “Board of Water Supply Farrington Highway Projects” link or call 748-5310 for a voice recording. Questions and comments can also be sent to farringtonprojects@hbws.org or to the BWS Construction section at 748-5730.

Please help to spread this news with the community. Mahalo nui for your continued patience and kokua.

Moani Wright-Van Alst

Honolulu Board of Water Supply

Communications Office

To view the map click here.