Question: Auwe! Pali Highway repaving is behind again, after already being behind!
Answer: The state Department of Transportation now expects Phase 2 of the Pali Highway Resurfacing project to wrap up in December, three years later than the anticipated completion date when the project was split into two phases, according to the DOT website. At that time, the DOT expected Phase 2 to begin in summer 2019 and end in December 2020; neither occurred.
Phase 2 work began in March 2021 and delays have been announced periodically since then, according to past DOT news releases. Last summer, the DOT said Phase 2 should wrap up by May. In March, it pushed that date back to September, and now the completion date has been postponed again.
“The revised completion date for the Pali Highway project is December 2023. Due to inclement weather, there were 148 unworkable days of the 390 working days since the project began in March 2021. HDOT and the contractor are committed to the December completion date,” the DOT said in a news release Wednesday.
Phase 2 of the work extends along the Pali Highway from Vineyard Boulevard to Waokanaka Street. Motorists are advised to plan ahead and expect delays. Details about lane closures are posted on a weekly basis at palihighway.org.
Besides resurfacing the roadway, Phase 2 work includes the installation of wind-resistant traffic signals, installation of bus pads, utility reconstruction, median improvements, guardrail replacement and construction of curb ramps, driveways, and sidewalks, the DOT said.
Q: What counts as a relative under the nepotism law?
A: The term relative “includes parents, grandparents, children, grandchildren, siblings, uncles/aunts, cousins, in-laws, and step-relationships,” according to the Hawaii State Ethics Commission’s quick guide to the state’s new anti-nepotism law, which prohibits most state employees and board members from taking employment action that affects relatives or household members, and from being involved in the award of contracts to businesses owned by relatives or household members.
A household member is anyone who resides in the same dwelling, the guide says.
Read the quick guide at 808ne.ws/nepgd.
Q: Regarding the survey about new rules for the city’s tennis and pickleball courts (808ne.ws/79kline), what if we don’t want to do the survey online?
A: Hard copies are available at Kapolei Hale (1000 Uluohia St., Suite 309) and at the Frank F. Fasi Municipal Building (650 South King St., in the Parks and Rec permits office on the first floor). Surveys must be submitted by 4:30 p.m. on July 21, whether completed online or on paper.
The survey gauges public opinion about the city’s outdoor sport courts for tennis, pickleball, basketball and volleyball, including about a proposal to limit free recreational play to 45 minutes when other players are waiting and to allow coaches and instructors to reserve courts for paid lessons.
Mahalo
This morning my old Labrador retriever’s legs gave way and he could not get up. We were partially on the street because there was no sidewalk. There was a car coming, and I had to direct the driver to go around us. He passed us, but came back to us to ask if I needed help. He picked up my 105-pound dog to help him stand and make sure he was OK. To Chad, thank you for being a thoughtful and caring young man. To his mama, thank you so much for bringing up a wonderful son. There are beautiful people out there. — Kapahulu senior
Write to Kokua Line at Honolulu Star-Advertiser, 500 Ala Moana Blvd., Suite 7-500, Honolulu, HI 96813; call 808-529-4773; or email kokualine@staradvertiser.com.
