Question: The collapse of the Florida International University pedestrian bridge was alarming, more so because it was using a new construction technique designed specifically to minimize traffic disruption to a busy thoroughfare over which it spanned. Is the Honolulu rail guideway being constructed using the same ABC construction method?
Answer: No. “HART and its contractors are not using the Accelerated Bridge Construction technique for the Honolulu Rail Transit Project. The elevated guideway is of a completely different design, one that is proven around the world,” said Bill Brennan, a spokesman for the Honolulu Authority for Rapid Transportation (HART), overseer of the rail system being built from Kapolei to Honolulu.
Accelerated Bridge Construction, or ABC, involves building whole bridges or large sections of them off-site and later installing them all at once, to reduce traffic disruptions. The general technique is not new — it’s been used safely since the mid-1800s, according to The Associated Press — but interest has spiked in recent years as states seek to replace thousands of aging bridges.
The FIU span that collapsed Thursday, killing six people, had been installed five days earlier; it weighed 950 tons and stretched 174 feet, according to the university. The National Transportation Safety Board is investigating the collapse, the cause of which is not yet known.
You are one of numerous readers asking about the ABC method in relation to the Oahu rail project. Although you seem to suspect ABC as a cause of the Florida failure, it’s too soon to say. For example, along with describing the ABC method, the AP also reported that construction of the FIU bridge was behind schedule and millions of dollars over budget, partly because of a change in the design of its main support tower. Officials had worried that further delays could jeopardize federal funding. It’s unclear at this point whether the design change or its implementation contributed to the collapse, the AP said.
Q: Auwe! How many more parking spaces are they taking for bike lanes?
A: About 30 on Pensacola Street and about 40 on Ward Avenue, according to the city, which is hosting a public meeting about bikeways proposed for those areas. The meeting is scheduled for 6 to 8 p.m. Thursday at Neal S. Blaisdell Center, Pikake Room, 777 Ward Ave.
Mahalo
A few weeks ago three former co-workers and I got together for lunch at Assagio’s in Mililani. One of our co-workers, who has been living on the mainland, had returned to Oahu for a long-overdue visit. The four of us worked together over 35 years ago as therapists in the public schools We hadn’t seen each other for almost 30 years. We were giddy with excitement just to be together again. We were pretty loud as we laughed raucously at how young we looked in pictures from back in the day and all of the fun we had working together. I’m sure all of those around us could hear … since we continued to chatter and giggle throughout our meal. We were planning to order dessert, just so we could stay and catch up a little longer, when we were pleasantly surprised by the waiter, who delivered two orders of tiramisu to our table, saying that the couple sitting next to us wanted to treat us to dessert. What a delightful and unexpected surprise! Unfortunately, the couple had already left, so we weren’t able to thank them in person. We hope that they see this so they know how much their kind gesture of aloha truly touched all of our hearts and was the perfect ending to this wonderful reunion! — Mahalo nui loa, Audrey, Sandie, Clarice and Debbie
Write to Kokua Line at Honolulu Star-Advertiser, 7 Waterfront Plaza, Suite 210, 500 Ala Moana Blvd., Honolulu 96813; call 529-4773; fax 529-4750; or email kokualine@staradvertiser.com.
