After consulting with an engineer, Hawaii County officials have decided to reconstruct the pedestrian bridge between Waiakea Peninsula and Moku‘ola (Coconut Island) rather than simply repair the damaged section.
A portion of the elevated walkway to the popular island park off Banyan Drive behind the Hilo Hawaiian Hotel collapsed Nov. 14 as county crews were driving a mini-excavator across the bridge to conduct maintenance in the park.
“The Department of Parks and Recreation considered hiring an engineering firm through emergency procurement, but after a consultation we determined it made more sense to focus resources on the larger planning and design process for the reconstruction of the bridge, which we are moving forward with now,” County Parks & Recreation Director Clayton Honma said Wednesday.
“Currently, Parks and Recreation is negotiating a contract with a consultant to perform the planning and design work necessary for the reconstruction of the bridge to Moku‘ola and the restoration of safe pedestrian access.”
The bridge, which was opened to pedestrian traffic in 1969, had been used previously to transport mini- excavators and associated equipment to perform maintenance in the park prior to the collapse, according to Honma.
The county initially provided an estimate of $2 million for the bridge’s repair or replacement, but Honma later said that “was not a figure provided for the overall project being considered.”
“Once the contract is signed, we can share more information, including the consultant being hired, the cost of the contract, the scope of work included in the contract, and prospective timelines,” he said. “We anticipate the contract will be in place and planning work will begin sometime in February.”
Honma previously said it’s expected county funds will be used to finance the project, which will be managed by Parks and Recreation, although the bidding process, as with most county projects, will be facilitated by the Department of Public Works.
“We anticipate an environmental assessment to be part of the planning process for this project to meet the requirements of Hawaii environmental law,” he concluded.
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