Mayor Caldwell releases 2014 Quarter 3 Roads Report

269 lane miles repaved to date in 2014; Waialae Avenue repaving complete

News Release from City and County of Honolulu October 13, 2014

Honolulu – Mayor Caldwell released today the city’s quarterly road repaving progress report. Improving Oahu’s roads remains one of Mayor Caldwell’s top priorities.  His ambitious five-year plan calls for repaving an average of 300 lane miles per year in order to repair all 1,500 lane miles deemed unsatisfactory in a 2012 survey.  Since the beginning of last year, 667 lane miles of city roads have now been repaved under the Caldwell Administration.

In 2013, Mayor Caldwell’s first year in office, contractors repaved a record 398 lane miles of city roads.  Now in year two, the city is again ahead of schedule with 269 lane miles having been repaved through the third quarter of 2014.  There are currently 14 ongoing road projects valued at $139 million to repave 504 lane miles of roads and 5 construction projects totaling $40.8 million dollars to repave 91 lane miles of roads have been awarded with work to begin soon.  There are an additional 31 projects valued at $286,750,000 to repave 588 lane miles of roads in the planning and design phase.

The third quarter saw the completion of Kaimuki’s main thoroughfare, Waialae Avenue, as well as the beginning of full-depth construction of Beretania Street. Waialae Avenue now features bike lanes or sharrows on both sides of the road, from St. Louis to 17th Avenue and Beretania Street will also have bike infrastructure once repaving is completed.  This is part of Mayor Caldwell’s bike initiative.  For more information, please visit: www.honolulu.gov/bicycle.

“Having safe, drivable roads is a primary function of city government,” said Mayor Caldwell.  “Repaving 398 lane miles of city roads last year was long overdue and shattered the previous record, however many of those roads were easier projects.  A greater portion of the 269 lane miles repaved so far this year were more complex and required greater time and resources to complete.  Road repaving remains a top priority and we’re going to bring all the roads under the City’s jurisdiction to satisfactory condition or better, as expeditiously and cost-effectively as possible.”

In addition to repaving unsatisfactory roads, the city is being proactive in maintaining roads that are still in good condition.  A slurry seal (emulsified asphalt) coating is used to extend the life of good roads.  The city regularly patches potholes within 48 hours of them being reported.  Temporary pothole patching helps create a smoother ride for drivers until more substantive improvements can be made.  The city has filled 30,756 potholes this year and filled 46,470 in 2013.  The public is encouraged to report potholes to the city by calling the Pothole Hotline at 768-7777.

The current quarterly status report is posted online at: http://www.honolulu.gov/rep/site/ddc/Road_repair_quarterly_report.pdf

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