Photo By Christine Cabalo | Lance Cpl. Joe Kyle, of Spokane, Wash., runs along the finished section of the newly...... read more read more
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MARINE CORPS BASE HAWAII - Construction crews are paving the way for a safe, eco-friendly trip along Reed Road.
The Base Facilities Department is working on several improvements to the road by installing solar streetlights, adding a new bicycle lane and laying down a full sidewalk. The department estimates the road should be fully re-opened by the end of February.
“What prompted the project in the first place was the condition of the road,” said Philip Lum, engineering branch head, Base Facilities. “The sidewalk near the Child Development Center was in rough condition. There was sediment and cracking, and it warranted a new sidewalk.”
The expanded sidewalk will stretch the entire length of the road, starting from The Officers’ Club to Mokapu Road. Lum said the sidewalk is also wider — four-feet wide — to make jogging easier for people with strollers.
Along the half-mile road, 27 solar streetlights will be installed to light the area. The lights are a similar design to the solar streetlight near Hangar 104 set up in June 2011. Besides needing less maintenance than traditional lights, the new streetlights are also motion-sensor activated and can dim.
“The lights come on at dusk, then after a couple of hours they go into a dimming mode at half power until there’s traffic or motion,” said John Dunbar, Base Facilities resource efficiency manager, Marine Corps Base Hawaii. “[The lights] will sense the motion and go back up to full power for up to 10 minutes.”
The new solar lights will also brighten the area during pre-dawn hours for morning joggers, Dunbar said. So far the lower portion of the road, from Mokapu Road to the Child Development Center, is already finished.
After Seeing the partially opened road prompted visitor Lance Cpl. Joe Kyle to take a test run on the new sidewalk. Kyle ran along the finished section of the road with a colleague from Marine All Weather Fighter Attack Squadron 121, based at Marine Corps Air Station Miramar, Calif.
“It’s a great place to run,” said Kyle from Spokane, Wash. “I like the sidewalk, it’s a smooth surface.”
Bicyclists can also look forward to having their own lane after construction is finished. The lane was included in the plan based on a suggestion from residents in the area. Bicyclists can use the lane traveling uphill from Mokapu Road to The Officers’ Club.
“It seems great for families,” said Abbey Derryberry, a spouse of a sailor stationed at MCB Hawaii. “I’ll probably use it once it opens, especially since the weather is better.”
Construction work was temporarily suspended when crews discovered a worn-out sewer pipe under the road. Work started again recently, with plans to install a new pipe and sewer hole while finishing the planned improvements.
Once construction on Reed Road is finished, Base Facilities will start resurfacing nearby Reeves Road. As Lum and Base Facilities work on road projects at MCB Hawaii, he said the department is focusing on preventive work to keep roads smooth.
“It’s important to make sure to get everything back up and running,” Lum said. “Especially to get people to go where they need to go quicker.”
| Date Taken: | 01.09.2012 |
| Date Posted: | 01.13.2012 20:48 |
| Story ID: | 82405 |
| Location: | MARINE CORPS BASE HAWAII, HI, US |
| Web Views: | 49 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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