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Earlier this week my husband and I were on our morning walk. The county had started to repair and maintain the surface as it has been very bad for years. A large amount of loose gravel was left on the road. We carefully took this into accout, but what we did not take into account was a very deep hole on the road surface, which was covered with loose gravel. My husband caught his foot in this hole and fell forward on his face. We ended up at the Hilo hospital for treatment.
When I contacted the county they hurriedly came out and filled the hole. There are many such hazards on the current surface. I asked one of the workers why the road had been left in such condition, he said that they were told to stop mid-job as a group of people were continuing to stop any such repair with their personal agends.
The road is dangerous for all of us, not just for driving and biking, but now for walking.
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It's just a matter of time before an opportunist or a legitimate accident leads to a major case filed against the County with regard to that road. A continued lie of pointing the finger at a few degenerate people who don't want it improved will not hold up in front of a judge. After the court awards cash to a victim for the Counties neglect of the road... then we'll see the road improved. It's a shame it will take a serious accident and law suit before the County takes action.
Most Counties across the country make damn sure such things don't happen by applying CYA. Sooner or later this County will find that out the hard way.
Sorry to hear about your husband, hope he recovers.
E ho'a'o no i pau kuhihewa.
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There was some reference a couple months ago that said the beach road improvements were being done with geothermal funds. The original geothermal fund bill had capital improvements and that was paying for some of the Puna road work like repaving the entrance to beaches (controversial since that was being called Fred Blas' paving improvement to his house). Yagong initiated a bill to strike the capital improvements and that was passed in the council last month. Kenoi has still not signed off on it. It's kind of a double edged sword improving the beach road totally, there is a large section that is an ancient Hawaiian burial area plus several sacred areas along the way.
*Japanese tourist on bus through Pahoa, "Is this still America?*
I like it the way it is now, passible but not comfortable for the general commuter. I would hate to have even more traffic on coastal puna hwy.
“Setting a good example is a far better way to spread ideals than through force of arms.”
-Ron Paul
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I concur . Its passable the way it is and the rustic state of the road is part of its character. Why must every route be asphalted over and made into a highway ?
I understand that there are people who don't have a pickup or jeep and who want to be able to drive any road they want with there "low clearance" "green efficient" great mileage vehicles, but guess what. This is a country road and traffic is slow because of it and I for one like it the way it is.
enjoy
riverwolf
riverwolf
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The divots formed by driving after rainfall do get deep and need to be filled. It sounds like this problem was just some gravel thrown in loose and not packed down. It is the only road for the people living off the grid so it needs to be in decent condition but I wouldn't want to see it totally paved either. It really needs to be taken slow to fully appreciate the sights.
*Japanese tourist on bus through Pahoa, "Is this still America?*
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What section of the hwy. are we talking about? Most of 137 that I drive is in fine condition and potholes are filled expeditiously.
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The section that goes through Wa'a Wa'a.
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quote:
Originally posted by hotinhawaii
What section of the hwy. are we talking about? Most of 137 that I drive is in fine condition and potholes are filled expeditiously.
Part of the unpaved section of hwy in Waa Waa that was recently worked on would be my guess. More potholes are forming throughout the unpaved section, and it will be interesting to see how quickly the county does fill the potholes in the worst areas, and how large the potholes are allowed to become before they are filled.
Just curious,which section do you drive, hotinhawaii?
edited to add that I was in the middle of posting when cwaters posted her response.
Wahine
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The County has been collecting federal moneys for many years for road maintenance. I wonder if they are collecting money from the federal government for “HWY 137”. I also wonder what the federal standards are set for a road to qualify as a “HWY”. Could it be possible that the County has been and is collecting Federal funds for a road that is said to be a “HWY” but does not meet the said qualifications? Is it possible there are misappropriations occurring? Is it ok to install speed bumps on a "HWY", grow trees on a "HWY" or deem a gravel/dirt pot filled half ass scratched out trail as a "HWY"? What happens to federal road funding when it’s found to be grossly abused?
E ho'a'o no i pau kuhihewa.
