Gulick overpass raise expected soon as part of middle street expansion

KALIHI KAI, Oahu (KHON2) — Tuesday afternoon’s line of backed-up traffic came in part after equipment on a truck hit the Gulick overpass, the lowest overpass on the island.

“Every time (Gulick overpass) gets hit, it takes us an hour to four hours to clear it,” said Ed Sniffen, Hawaii Department of Transportation director. “First, our people have to get out in traffic to get there, and second, we have to make sure we check the structure, the integrity of the structure and remove any loose concrete that might be there.”

The trucking industry said it takes precautions to ensure accurate and safe routes for its trucks, but accidents can still happen.

“Sometimes when we do get orders to deliver things, we go by what the person who’s doing the initial order is, we go by what their weight and their height is, and sometimes it’s not correct,” said Tina Yamaki, Hawaii Transportation Association managing director.

Tuesday wasn’t the first time the Gulick overpass has been hit, which is why raising it is a top priority for the DOT. They said the entirety of the overpass should be closed by June, with work expected to last for about a year.

“The Gulick overpass is our lowest clearance in the state right now, it’s at 14.3, the next nearest one is at 14.7, and it never gets hit,” said Sniffen. “Gulick overpass has been hit in the last five years at least four times.”

DOT is currently installing a pedestrian overpass to connect nearby schools and homes in the area, which will be installed by early June, and a complete shutdown of the area is expected by the end of June.

The raising of the overpass is part of the larger project to expand Middle Street to five lanes.

“The project itself is over 100 million dollars, very important for this area,” said Sniffen. “It’s an area that we always have back-ups during peak times, and non-peak times, and we always have a lot of weaving in those areas because of the merge that we have there.”