By Dennis Fujimoto The Garden Island | Wednesday, February 24, 2021, 12:05 a.m.
WAIPOULI — The county Department of Public Works and Cushnie Construction Co. announced the start of construction on the next segment of the Eastside coastal path.
“We could possibly start work as early as next week,” said Jeff Griffin of Cushnie Construction of the project that will connect the Uhelekawakawa Canal bridge at Kuhio Highway near Waipouli Beach to the existing path fronting the Sheraton Kaua‘i Coconut Beach.
Work currently being done on the bridge is not related to the path construction.
Construction will take place on weekdays from 9 a.m. to 5:30 p.m., and is expected to take approximately nine months to complete. Dates and times are subject to change depending on weather and other factors.
The construction phase is budgeted at $1.1 million and funded through Federal Highway Administration funds.
“This path’s alignment was carefully vetted during the Special Management Area permitting process, and adjustments were made to minimize potential coastal erosions,” said Acting County Engineer Troy Tanigawa.
The next phase of the path is in line with the overall bike and pedestrian path project that addresses several needs and objectives, including: