For tired residents, finding ways around the roadblock is beginning to take its toll. The Department of Transportation has removed about 20 cubic yards of rocks from the highway and patched craters in the road about 18 inches deep. Geologists have confirmed that more cracks on the ledge above the road could cause 5-foot boulders to fall. The cliff rocks must be removed before the road can be reopened, Kali said. The department is looking for contractors with qualifications to remove those rocks.
Some progress is visible.
The Department of Transportation has lighted the beach area and hired a company to put a carpet-like sidewalk along the beach. Vanpool Hawaii is lending vans to principals at Waialua, Sunset Beach, Haleiwa Elementary and Kahuku High schools to help shuttle teachers affected by the highway closure. The city bus service also has increased shuttles to every half hour between Pupukea and Turtle Bay. The Department of Education is looking into using a state-provided shuttle to supplement city bus service and supervising the area where about 250 students are walking or being shuttled. Some work not obvious Some work, such as evaluation by a team of geologists and engineers from Earth Tech Inc., an environmental consulting firm, is not as obvious.