I recently used my University of Hawaii researching skills to study Hawaii’s failing roads and busted the following myths:
» It’s a war on potholes.
False. Potholes are due to water seeping through asphalt coverings that crack due to thinness. Water partially dissolves the base underneath, causing the surface to cave in and create a pothole. Cracks, alligator skin where chunks pop out, and potholes are all signs that the road has "failed." Other factors include traffic volume, vehicle weight, climate, subgrade support, material mix for asphalt and base, road design, construction quality, maintenance, etc.
» It’s the rain.
It’s not the rain. There are no potholes on H-3. A road engineer stated, "If you build a good roof, it will not leak. Same with the roads." Roads with thicker asphalt coverings last approximately 15-20 years, and concrete roads last 30-40 years. Not enough inches of asphalt are being used on Hawaii’s roads. Every pothole allows you to see the inches of black asphalt used.
Nationally, the old standard averaged 2 inches of asphalt over a 6-inch base, but increased traffic and heavier vehicles have shifted that to 4 inches over 6 inches. The busy commercial street of Keeau-moku was repaved with only 2 inches of asphalt. The Pali Highway (townbound by the light) is starting to pothole because it was covered with an insufficient layer of 1.5 inches.
Roadways that last need thicker asphalt coverings. Sometimes the base has to be repaired — road "rehabilitation" (replacing up to 15 percent of the base) or "reconstruction" (removing more than 15 percent base) is very expensive.
» The city has road equipment.
False. The city fills potholes, but private contractors do about 90 percent of the city road repairs. The city does not own large co-planers (millers), those wide machines that grind off the old asphalt or the base beneath.
» It’s not my road.
Possibly true: The city has a budget for repairing city and county roads, while the state repairs H-1, H-2, H-3, Ala Moana Boulevard, and Nimitz, Kalanianaole, Farrington, Kahekili, and Kamehameha highways.
» We don’t have enough money.
Partially true. The bottom line is that both the city and state funnel funds out of their road budgets into other projects. This is the central cause of Hawaii’s bad roads.
Previous budget reviews show that some highway funds are transferred to general funds. Less than 10 percent ($18 million) of the approximate $216 million/year of state highway funds were used during 2005-2007, resulting in only 40 miles of road being annually resurfaced statewide.
solutions: Hawaii needs a proactive "pavement preservation system" based on a steady flow of funds over many years. It may need to be managed by a private company shielded from politics and receiving all of the road funds. It needs to set minimum standards for:
» Tax funds used for road care;
» Actual annual miles of road maintenance (sealing, etc.) and repair (asphalt or rehabilitation/reconstruction); and
» Inches of asphalt and base.
