HONOLULU (KHON2) — A routine paving project on Kapiolani Boulevard has come to an unexpected halt after construction crews unearthed historic streetcar tracks dating back to the early 1900s.
The discovery was made during excavation work in mid-September.
“We had no idea that this was here and something like this, when it comes up, we need to consult with the State Historic Preservation Division in order to see what needs to be done,” said Haku Milles, Director for the Department of Design and Construction.
The tracks are remnants of Honolulu’s once thriving streetcar system, which operated from the early 1900s to 1940s as the Honolulu Rapid Transit and Land Company.
Streetcar operations ceased in 1941 when the company transitioned to buses as the primary mode of public transportation.
City officials with the Department of Design and Construction are working with the contractor and SHPD to develop a plan for preserving these artifacts.
“Sometimes it’s to leave them in place and sometimes it is to give it to them or, you know, it needs to be preserved in some way that they determine,” said Milles.
With this latest discovery, it’s estimated the repaving will be completed in the spring of next year. But then striping and protective work needs to go in, which means the project likely won’t be finished until the summer of 2025.
The project is about two-thirds complete, and part of the delay is waiting for the approval and review of a new traffic control plan for Kapiolani Boulevard. The City is working on trying to reimplement contraflow along Kapiolani in the near future.
“In the meantime, we’re trying to work with the Department of Transportation Services and the Department of Facilities Maintenance so that we can get the contraflow back up and running.
We don’t have a schedule for that, but we are working hard to get that re-implemented,” said Milles.
Not soon enough for weary motorists we spoke with.
“Lately, around this time, but later in the day, it can add an extra 40 minutes to the day. It’s kind of sickening at this point,” said Tony Levada, who drives on Kapiolani Boulevard almost daily to get into Waikiki.
The $11 million repaving project of three miles of Kapiolani Boulevard started in October of last year and was expected to be completed by now. The City said the delays are not expected to add any additional costs to the project.
“There are a little bit of delays that the contractor is entitled to account for in their construction schedule. But the work is pretty minor overall so it’s not a significant change in the overall scope,” said Milles.