Photo courtesy of HDOT.The Hawaii Department of Transportation (HDOT) has closed the Kipapa Stream Bridge linking Waipio and Mililani for emergency work.
According to KHON TV, after working on the bridge for more than a year, the agency recently discovered that one of the bridge supports had holes in the concrete resembling a honeycomb. It was closed down for repair August 19.
“In the process of the rehabilitation project, it was determined that the concrete in one of the cross members of the bridge pier was ‘honeycombed.’ In other words, there were voids in the concrete. The emergency work today consisted of the contractor breaking out the concrete to find the extent of the honeycombs and fixing it with new concrete,” HDOT told KHON. “We cannot allow vehicular traffic over the bridge structure while this work is taking place, but it is safe for the public to drive over the bridge.”
The cost of the project is between $10 to $25 million, and the emergency work is covered under the contracted amount. All work, including the initial rehabilitation work and the recently added repairs, is expected to be completed in September.
