Nanakuli Steel Poles Installation Project - UPDATE

From: Hoo, Lori [mailto:lori.hoo@heco.com]


Aloha, All,

Over the last seven months, we have been working to replace 12 poles located between Lualualei Naval Road and Haleakala Avenue as part of an ongoing effort to strengthen the utility poles along Farrington Highway. I'm pleased to report that we are in the final stages of this project. We have completed the installation of the replacement poles and Hawaiian Telcom and the State DOT have been working to move their facilities to the new poles. Our contractor began removing the wood poles today and will continue to work in concert with DOT, as DOT moves the street lighting from the wood poles to the steel poles. There has been some hesitancy on the part of DOT to do any work that will exacerbate the present traffic conditions caused by BWS' closure of two lanes in the area. As such, we do not have a schedule for the completion of the final stages of work at this time. In addition to the pole removals, our contractor will repair and restore the public walkway areas affected by our construction work.

Of the 12 poles that we were planning to replace, 10 poles were replaced with new steel poles, one was replaced with a concrete pole, and one pole fronting Sack N Save will remain, as is. We will not be able to replace this pole as planned due to some underground utilities in the area discovered during construction. Relocation of the utilities will involve substantial excavation and construction work which will adversely impact traffic for a prolonged period of time. The pole that is not being replaced is significantly thicker than the original pole that fell during the March 2006 and December 2007 storms. Additionally, a brace was installed on the pole to further increase its strength.

Please feel free to post this email or distribute this email to other neighborhood board members and anyone else that may want an update on our work. If you have any questions or need additional information, please email me or call me at 543-5815. I will be out of town until June 17 but if you'd like to contact someone about this project while I'm away, please call Craig Naito at 543-7533.

Mahalo,
Lori

Lori Hoo
Director, Community Relations
Hawaiian Electric Company
543-5815
lori.hoo@heco.com