Can Aloha Stadium survive for seven more years?

Or, maybe it should be put this way: Can we survive Aloha Stadium for seven more years?

Hopefully, because that’s how long it could take for its replacement to be built. And that’s if we started yesterday.

Construction — which would probably take about two years — is the easy part.

“Five years,” answered Glenn Wakai, when I asked how long he thought it would take. “To groundbreaking.”

Wait, a second there … you mean to opening, right?

No. He meant what he said: to groundbreaking.

“We have to do a lot of things before we get to the actual construction,” said Wakai, a state senator representing District 15, which has residents adjacent to the current stadium.

One of those things is actually cementing that the new facility would be located at or near the site of the existing one.

The state has finally completed a transfer of deed restrictions from the federal government that allows private businesses in the area around the stadium. Also, while some envision a new stadium elsewhere on the island (notably west Oahu or near or on the University of Hawaii campus), most talk is for rebuilding in Halawa — almost like it’s a lock.

Traffic is going to be bad anywhere there’s a stadium on the day of a big event. It’s been terrible in recent years for the Pro Bowl and its nearly 50,000 attendees. If a new stadium is smaller (projections are for 30,000-35,000), that partially solves that problem.

“Where it is now is the ideal spot for us to have a stadium of that size,” Wakai said, noting all roads lead to Halawa. “There’s the H-3 for our friends from windward side, and it’s relatively close to the urban core. Move it out there (to Ewa), and you’re adding a minimum 20 minutes driving time (for people from coming from town). Hawaii people love to gripe about time spent in traffic. That will be a deal killer.”

There must also be an environmental impact study before the 42-year-old facility can be replaced with a new structure. Fans of the ill-fated Hawaii Superferry will remember what can happen if you try to dodge that requirement.

“Right now it’s a dream, on paper,” Wakai said. “We have to do the nuts and bolts, of what is in the soil. I think there’s a good chance we won’t have any surprises. But considering that a half-mile up the street the Navy had a base camp and maybe a toxic dump we want to be very prudent.

“As long as the feds couldn’t give us a clean canvas we couldn’t move. It took a lot of legwork, but now we can redevelop.”

Wakai has spoken often of turning the area into a destination for more than the occasional game at the stadium or tourist visits to the Arizona Memorial. That would mean shops, restaurants and hotels now possible because of the deed restriction transfer.

He introduced legislation this session that would fund the EIS, and another bill to give the Stadium Authority some actual authority, with which it could pursue corporate sponsorship and other private funding to avoid higher taxation to build the new stadium.

I’ve questioned in the past the Stadium Authority’s tendency to get bogged down in aspects of the day-to-day running of the facility. But, yes, this is the kind of thing it should be involved in. And it shouldn’t have to deal with time sucks like the state’s ridiculous procurement system and other red tape as it expedites the sorely needed new stadium.

Of course, there can’t be shortcuts when it comes to safety.

How alarming is it that the sky is falling — actually, a part of the stadium? Thankfully, it did not happen during an event.

“Important structural pieces are not falling, but it’s not flakes of paint, either,” said one person close to the situation. “Let’s put it this way: It definitely wouldn’t feel good if it fell on your head.”

In the past two years, Aloha Stadium lost a soccer match the day before the event because the players said the field was unsafe. And it’s no secret the facility’s advanced age factored into the Pro Bowl’s leaving.

Engineers and stadium management say the venue is structurally sound and still safe, for now. But at what point do liability issues come into play for major tenants like UH and high school football?

If the old stadium decays to the point that it is dangerous before the new one is completed, then what?

A piece of a building falling off of it is an obvious and ominous warning.

We all knew it even before the consultant’s report, anyway, didn’t we? It’s time to start on the new stadium — yesterday.

Reach Dave Reardon at dreardon@staradvertiser.com or 529-4783. His blog is at Hawaiiwarriorworld.com/quick-reads.