HANAPEPE — The project to replace the Hanapepe River Bridge is changing hands as construction on the temporary bridge is completed, and traffic will soon be changing as well.

The goal of the project is to improve the safety and reliability of Hanapepe Bridge by doing things like rehabbing or replacing parts, addressing the width of the bridge, the load capacity, railing and transitions.

Hawaii Department of Transportation and the Central Federal Lands Highway Division of the Federal Highway Administration are cooperating on the project.

Both entities said construction on the temporary bridge is considered complete now that the bridge and bridge deck have been placed and the temporary bridge’s contractor, Hawaii Dredging, has initiated demobilization on the site.

That’ll make room for the permanent bridge contractor, CW Clyde, to begin work.

“Their first order of business will be to get the transitions installed form the highway over to the temporary bridge,” said Larry Dill, HDOT Kauai district engineer. “We’re still waiting for details on how, but generally speaking hopefully that’ll be in place before the end of calendar year.”

According to the project description, the whole bridge improvement project should take about 24 months, with a cost of $23 million. The permanent bridge construction contract was awarded to WW Clyde on April 13, with an expected completion date of June 2020.

The existing three-span structure will be replaced with a longer and wider bridge to accommodate two 12-foot travel lanes, two 8-foot shoulders and two 5-foot sidewalks for improved safety and reliability.

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Jessica Else, environment reporter, can be reached at 245-0452 or at jelse@thegardenisland.com