#bridges #bridgesofhonolulucounty #bridgesofmanoastream #bridgesofpalolostream
The South King Street bridge over Manoa-Palolo Drainage Canal is the third in mauka direction starting from the Ala Wai Canal.
It brings memories back, however faded. In the summer after fifth grade, Mrs. Odo signed me up for a science program headed by Prof. Will Kyselka. He was a gentleman, and he was patient with us. We were outside almost every day exploring different sites. The quarry on Lower Campus at UH, for example, was home to a multitude of fossils. The remnants of sea creatures. How, he asked, do we think they ended up way deep in Manoa?
Another field trip was a project. We took samples of the water in the Ala Wai Canal, and made several stops up the Manoa-Palolo Drainage Canal. We took samples at each stop until we reached the UH campus. Later, we learned that the lead content increased with each sample, topping out at the university.
I don't know if the toxicity today is as bad or better or worse today, some 35 years later. The makai side of this bridge has a bit of discoloration on the marker for the year this was built. The foliage below is lush and overgrown.
The mauka side, I took just one photo. There are homeless folks living down next to the water, so I opted to go without pics of the stream on that side. The foliage on that side was recently cut down a great deal.
The bridges here (1948), on Kapiolani Blvd. (1950) and on Date Street (1937) opened the pathways to the area's growth. Kaimuki High School opened shortly afterward. The area is still fairly busy and bustling, especially at peak tourist season. For now, during this COVID-19 lockdown, it can be a quiet place.
I've never seen anyone try to fish here, to no surprise, but I suppose anything is possible if the water is healthy enough. And deep enough.
From this spot, there are plenty of bridges over Manoa Stream as it traces back up the valley. There is the Old Waialae Road bridge on the other side of the block (and freeway). That bridge is just below the spot where Manoa and Palolo streams join.
Up into Manoa, it is quite lush with the sound of classic stream activity, cutting between the UH dorms and residential homes, and Kanewai Field.
There is the Dole Street bridge that is quite high above the water in a heavily shaded area next to the dorms.
The stream tucks behind East-West Center and is out of sight until it is in Manoa Valley. There are a few bridges over the stream there, including one on each side of Manoa Marketplace as it weaves sideways to the ewa side. From there, the stream is without cover until the back of the valley, not far from the former Paradise Park. Those two tiny bridges are among my favorites.
After that, the stream is unencumbered in the vast Koolau Mountains.
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