Night work closes lanes on H-1
The state Department of Transportation on Tuesday resumed its late-night roadwork on the Ewa-bound side of the H-1 freeway.
Three Ewa-bound lanes between the Aiea Heights Drive overpass and the Waipahu offramp will close from 11 p.m. to 5 a.m. through Thursday for viaduct deck repairs, officials said. Repairs will continue into next week, but work will start earlier. Up to three Ewa-bound lanes will close from 7:30 p.m. to 4:30 a.m. Monday to Friday.
The work is expected to continue for at least the next several weeks, spokeswoman Caroline Sluyter said. For more details and updates, see www.pmcontraflow.com or call 945-1144.
Reuse of prison called positive
The state has issued a finding of no significant environmental impact from reopening Kulani Correctional Facility, closed four years ago because of costs.
The 200-page assessment prepared by R.M. Towill Corp. said there will be long-term positive affects from reopening the Hawaii island prison, including job creation or staff reinstatement, continued use of a state-owned facility and the return of Hawaii inmates now incarcerated in mainland prisons.
Reopening Kulani, about 20 miles southwest of Hilo, is not expected to adversely affect natural or cultural resources, the report said. The Department of Public Safety proposes to reopen parts of the facility to accommodate about 200 minimum-security inmates.
Public safety officials would like to reopen the facility next year. Inmates assigned to Kulani would be transferred from in-state facilities, allowing for the return to Hawaii of inmates in mainland correctional facilities. The report estimated the tally for repairs needed at the Kulani facility at $600,000.
High per-prisoner operating costs were cited in closing Kulani, but state Public Safety Director Ted Sakai has said reopening it makes sense for several reasons.
"It’s a step to bringing inmates home from the mainland without contributing to the overcrowding (in Hawaii prisons)," Sakai said. "It’s the right thing to do."
About 30 percent of Hawaii inmates are now incarcerated in mainland prisons.
In 2009, Kulani was turned over to the state Department of Defense for use as a National Guard Youth ChalleNGe Academy that offers high school diplomas.
