Makakupa’ia Bridge Replacement

The Makakupa’ia Bridge, located on Kamehameha V Highway four miles east of Kaunakakai, is slated for a $6 million replacement  starting in 2020. The project is estimated to last 18 to 24 months and will involve the construction of a temporary bypass road, demolition of the existing bridge and construction of the new bridge. The existing bridge, built is 1940, no longer meets current National Bridge Inspection Standards, meaning replacement is required.

Right now, Makakupa’ia Bridge is 23 feet long and 28 feet wide with two 11-foot lanes and two-foot shoulders. The new bridge will be 49 feet long and 42 feet wide, with widened shoulders for pedestrians and cyclists. It will be built within the existing highway right-of-way, though the temporary bypass road, which will be constructed on the mauka side to allow traffic to remain open during construction and removed afterward, will be built on privately-owned land.

According to the project’s draft Environmental Assessment, no significant ground excavation or dewatering will be required for the new bridge construction. The three-foot diameter drilled shafts that will support the new bridge superstructure would be approximately 40 to 60 feet deep. The existing bridge abutments will be left in place to avoid impacts to the existing ditch.

The estimated $6 million in construction costs will be funded 80 percent from federal funding and 20 percent by the state.

The draft Environmental Assessment expected to find no significant impacts to environmental, cultural, social, economic and other areas of potential concern for the project.