In the wake of a pedestrian fatality involving a McKinley High School student, news reports indicate raised crosswalks and speed bumps are on the way in several locations.
What caught my eye is the projected cost.
The DOT started installing the traffic devices in 2019 in Kalihi. So far, more than 75 have been installed throughout the state.
According to the DOT, it costs around $120,000 for each speed humps and raised crosswalks it installs.
Seriously? A speed bump or a raised crosswalk? There doesn’t appear to be a lot of complex engineering involved. Does asphalt really cost that much? Or is this the result of larding extensive engineering into what appear to be simple projects? Whatever is the case, that $120,000 figure demands some explaining, don’t you think?
An online search found a 2018 study by the Institute of Transportation Engineers estimating the cost of a raised aslphalt crosswalk or “traffic table” at between $2,500 and $8,000.
Another publication by the U.S. Department of Transportation estimates an asphalt traffic table should cost between $5,000 and $15,000.
The City of Seattle’s Department of Transportation estimated the same range: “Speed humps and cushions are about $5,000. Speed tables cost about $10,000.”
Okay, I would expect costs here to reflect the “Paradise tax” we all pay to live in this remote location. But $120,000?
Perhaps the quoted $120,000 price wasn’t correct.
Checking state procurement data online, I found a contract to install New Speed Tables at Ahipuu St & Upper Dowsett Ave, Pali Hwy. The contract was awarded in 2020 at a considerably lower price.
And if you’re interested in what is included in such a project, check out the plans that were part of the bid solicitation.
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They wouldn’t do it if there wasn’t big money in it for someone.
It might be cheaper than burying students and fellow residents. A friend works hard at the crossing near her children’s elementary school. All sorts of entitled folks ignore the signs to slow down and park only in certain areas while dropping off kids. If folks can’t drive with aloha then money spent to make crossing the street safe is well spent.
Corruption, corruption! If the DOT does end up spending anywhere near the $120,000 they are saying a speed bump or raised crosswalk will cost, it will be important to see who gets that money and how they are connected to those who award the contracts. There were several speed bumps installed just recently in Kaneohe on the stretch of Mokapu between the YWCA and Castle High School. It would be interesting to learn how much those cost.
Brah, even $50k per speed bump is ridiculous!
This is VERY timely!!!
I happen to be in the middle of a personal “crusade” to get speed “humps” (or speed “tables”) put in on a main road that is very narrow and very busy/often used main road leading to a park. The road has NO sidewalks on either side and at almost any time of day, there are people using the road to exercise, walk pets, walk children, etc. Often times drivers have to “show a little civilized road manner” in yielding to other vehicles in narrower spots that won’t comfortably allow for two way driving. In the middle of all this are residents there using the road (via automobile) to/from whatever they need to do in addition lots of park traffic which seems to produce the most egregious bad driving.
So far I’ve gotten my local house representative’s ear on the issue and most recently have also gotten the state senator and council reps aware of the problem as well. Not too far from where all this is, there was a “pilot project” to install humps and I’ve inquired on the status of that (and why it needed to be a pilot project). I’ve driven the road with the new humps and it seems to be EXACTLY what we need in the area I mentioned. We all know posted speed limit signs do ABSOLUTELY NOTHING here so going to drastic measures is what is necessary.
This “luxury tax” on any kind of improvement project in this state is utterly ridiculous, wasteful and a TOTAL SCAM. This topic definitely needs to be followed and with a fire lit underneath it!!!
Oh, and by the way, the $120k quoted is ABSOLUTELY believable for this place! I remember a story several years ago mentioning the “study and engineering” costs on every road project here. Easily runs into the millions for something that might cost tens of thousands in any sane or normal place.
Don’t worry Ian. I drive Pali everyday, and now the speed tables heading towards town have been removed while the ones going Kailua bound are still there – does this make any sense at all? I call Pali the “highway from hell” as they have been working to fix it for some four or five years and never finish – different types of coatings everywhere, raised levels of roadway that fall off to unraised levels, bus pads that are not level with road surfaces and are all over the place, etc.
I completely agree with Tom. This afternoon, I was driving Kailua bound during a heavy rain and the amount of ponding and spraying between lanes was unlike any I have ever seen. Perhaps the poor work is nothing more than another devious way to get drivers to slow down.
More frequent re-painting of the white stripes in a crosswalk would be a better option — perhaps include reflective paint.
You’re assuming ANYone gives a flying f**k about crosswalks??
I liked the raised bumps, but then I’m never in a hurry, but certainly the cost is questionable. Do we need a fed. Investigation?
Audit! Audit!
Well, the comment overflow indicates citizen ire.
This is perfect investigative reporting that gives us readers data that we can take to our reps (many of whom take campaign donations from contractors). If voters keep checking names that take dollars and listen to lobbyists from state hired contractors are to blame for this obvious pork (our tax money).
Perhaps there’s additional cost related to things like environmental reviews? Several years ago I asked the city about the implementation of complete streets. The reason more bike projects were being done than pedestrian improvements is because bike projects cost less.
In 2014 two crosswalks on Oahu were altered to spell out “Aloha.” Someone had simply added a few brush strokes of white paint to the lines that were already there to make each letter. The city said it would cost $2,000 to fix each crosswalk. Some joked that they could have done it for less than $100.
Let Boy Scouts do it as part of their community project to get Eagle. A LOT cheaper than Hawaii/C&C government workers.
If speed tables are costing around $100K and are about saving lives, why not pay each lifeguard a $1million, they have saved more lives than any 10 speed tables ever will.