Question: In 2023 the state said the bridge in Maili would be done by June. That’s next month, and it’s obvious that’s not going to happen.
Answer: “The anticipated completion date for the Maipalaoa Bridge Replacement project has been postponed to August 2024, due to four months of unanticipated construction delays for unknown utilities, other contractor delays and 25 unworkable days due to weather,” the state Department of Transportation said Monday in a news release.
Work on the bridge along Farrington Highway near Maipalaoa Road, over Maili Stream, has progressed in fits and starts for the past nine years, beset by a variety of delays. Work on Phase 3 began in April 2023 but was halted when the contractor found unexpected underground lines. When work resumed in August, the DOT said the project would wrap up in June, a completion date that has now been extended. Read more about the delays and the upcoming work at hidot.hawaii.gov.
DOT says it expects the right shoulder lane on westbound Farrington Highway to return to daytime use around Aug. 6, with full use of the lane expected Aug. 27. However, daytime lane closures will occur beyond August as the worksite is cleared and the roadway is returned to its original condition, it said. Those closures will be announced as they are scheduled.
Q: I have received a summons for jury duty, and I have various physical reasons for which I need to be excused. I have a note from my doctor. I have been unable to reach anyone. What can I do?
A: In a follow-up email you confirmed that your summons was for Circuit Court jury duty, in which case you must submit your request to be excused in writing, postmarked at least two weeks prior to your appearance date. Mail your request to the court listed on your summons.
People who have been summoned for jury duty can’t request recusal or deferral online or by phone, according to the Hawaii Judiciary website.
The website says prospective jurors who have been summoned for duty can ask to be excused because of a serious personal hardship, including a disability or medical condition, in which case they must submit a physician’s or physician assistant’s certificate attesting to the disability or condition, along with the written request.
In your letter, “include your name, address, home/business/cell phone numbers, email address, date summoned to appear, courtroom number, time, participant and pool numbers. Also include reasons why you are asking to be excused and supporting documents (i.e. airline tickets/itinerary; doctor’s note). The request must be signed by the summoned juror. You will be notified in writing of the court’s decision. If you do not receive a response, your request has not been granted and you are expected to appear in court as summoned,” the website says.
Auwe
The city should consider an amnesty for unregistered vehicles to get legal because having to pay back taxes on vehicle weight all at once is a big cost. If the car isn’t registered or safety-checked, you know it doesn’t have insurance either, and that’s bad for all of us on the road. — A reader
Editor’s note: There are 40,457 vehicles on Oahu with expired registrations, including 29,618 that have been expired since July 2019, according to Honolulu’s Department of Customer Services. Past-due taxes and fees must be paid to renew a vehicle’s registration, a requirement that owners can appeal through 1st Circuit District Court, CSD says.
Mahalo
Mahalo to Uncle from Hawaii Surfing Academy in Waikiki. I dropped my iPad case with my phone and employee ID in it. He called the security number on my employee ID and coordinated getting my electronic devices back to me. Such an act of aloha. When you give aloha, you get aloha. — Mahalo, D.G.
Write to Kokua Line at Honolulu Star-Advertiser, 500 Ala Moana Blvd., Suite 7-500, Honolulu, HI 96813; call 808-529-4773; or email kokualine@staradvertiser.com.
