REPORT FROM THE CITY & COUNTY OF HONOLULU —Mayor Peter Carlisle today announced that the Beachwalk Force Main sewer project in Waikiki is nearing completion. As the portion of the new permanent force main that connects the Beachwalk Wastewater Pump Station in Waikiki to the temporary bypass line on the mauka side of the Ala Wai Canal has been completed, two smaller 28-inch temporary pipes will be floated to the canal’s surface and removed this week. The two smaller pipes were installed in and across the canal following the massive 2006 sewage spill.
“This project is very important for protecting our environment and public health in Waikiki,” Carlisle said. “Investing wisely in our infrastructure is the key to preparing for our future.”
The Beachwalk Force Main project includes the installation of 5,800 feet of new, 72-inch diameter pipe running from the Ala Wai Elementary School, near the makai end of University Avenue, to the Moana Park Wastewater Pump Station at the Atkinson Street entrance to Ala Moana BeachPark.
The new pipe consists of five segments, four of which have now been installed. Specialized pipe for the final segment is slated to arrive this week, and the entire project is expected to be completed by early 2013.
The two 28-inch diameter temporary pipes that will be removed from the canal this week are separate from the 48-inch diameter temporary pipe that became visible when a portion floated to the surface of the canal last month. That temporary pipe was re-submerged and will be removed after the final segment of the permanent new pipe is installed.
Once the entire $46 million project is complete, two reliable systems will transport wastewater from Waikiki: the existing 48-inch diameter pipe running beneath Ala Wai Boulevard; and the new 72-inch diameter pipe running beneath Ala Wai Park, crossing the canal and under Ala Wai Blvd to the pump station. For more information, go to www.beachwalkforcemain.com .
The City has also begun a separate project that will rehabilitate 6,000 feet of sewer lines in Waikiki along Kuhio Avenue between Namahana Streetand Liliuokalani Avenue. The $5.7 million project is expected to be completed in the summer of 2013. For more information, go towww.waikikisewer.com .