A Trip to Manoa Road
How is it that there are so many potholes in an area where the temperature rarely fluctuates?
It seems as if rain alone can wreak havoc on a roadway, especially if the surface is cracked, thin, and poorly constructed, according to the author of “Why Hawaii’s Roads are Bad.”
Following recent rains, the Department of Transportation says they used 37 tons of mixed asphalt over three days to fill in potholes across Oahu. Eventually, when patching is not sufficient, they repave entire streets, which is the process I documented along Manoa Road.
The construction workers were curious about why I was photographing something that seemed so uneventful.
“You’ve heard of National Geographic? This is Backyard Geographic,” I told them.
“Cool” came the reply, “Come look at this.”
I was fascinated by some of the equipment as well as the process itself, which seemed highly orchestrated and choreographed, despite what always appears to be just a bunch of guys standing around.
My equipment of choice for this excursion was an Olympus E-M5 Mark III camera with a 12-100mm lens, which allowed me to get some wide shots as well as a few close-ups without getting in the workers’ way.
Have a look at the slideshow below and let me know what you think!
