CALDWELL: CITY IS MOVING RAPIDLY ON ROAD REPAIRS

News Release from Office of Honolulu Mayor, April 15, 2013

Mayor Kirk Caldwell today announced that City contractors have repaved 77 lane-miles of deteriorated roads since he took office in January, and released the first quarterly status update that the administration will regularly produce to help the public keep track of road repairs and spending.

14 new road projects out to bid

The status update shows that the City is expected to meet Caldwell’s target of repaving 300 lane-miles in the current fiscal year. The administration has put 14 major road projects worth a total of $106 million out to bid since February, in addition to the 17 projects that are currently underway.

“Repairing our bad roads and making good roads last longer are some of this administration’s top priorities, and we are getting the job done,” Caldwell said.

Budget request calls for $153 million in road work

Caldwell has designated $153 million for road repair work in his proposed budget for the new fiscal year, and plans to seek City Council approval of similar amounts in each of the following three years.

The administration’s five-year road plan aims to repair all 1,500 lane-miles of roads that are considered degraded. The work will go far beyond the pothole-patching that provides a temporary fix.

Money will be spent prudently and expeditiously

Despite some perceptions that the City is unable to execute projects equal to the funding made available, virtually all the money budgeted for road repairs from fiscal years 2007 through 2011 has been encumbered (contracted to spend).

The new projects being bid will encumber all remaining funding for 2012, along with an estimated $80 million in 2013 funds.

For more information, visit the Department of Design and Construction website at http://www1.honolulu.gov/ddc/index.htm and view the Road Repairs Progress Update report.

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