The Hawai‘i Department of Transportation has secured a $33 million federal grant to bolster the Wailuku River Bridge's structure, ensuring its continued service to the community of Hilo on Hawai‘i Island. This grant, sourced from the United States Department of Transportation's Multimodal Project Discretionary Grant program, will fund renovations including the replacement of the bridge's superstructure and an expansion to accommodate ADA access. The grant was made possible under the Infrastructure for Rebuilding America and Rural Grant Opportunity programs, aiming to support such essential projectsm according to Hawai‘i Department of Transportation.
Known locally as the “Singing Bridge” due to the distinctive sounds it makes as vehicles pass over, the Wailuku River Bridge holds potential for historical recognition, sitting on the cusp of a National Register of Historic Places designation. Its auditory hallmark will be just one of the characteristics preserved, as Hawai‘i Department of Transportation is working with the State Historic Preservation Division to maintain the bridge's historical features. Despite its age, standing for 70 years, these updates—which also include supply bridges' railings with contemporary safety improvements—are promised, to rejuvenate the storied structure.
The bridge's planned enhancements are part of a larger $55 million project, for which the MPDG's contribution covers a significant 60 percent. The remainder will come from a mixture of Hawai‘i Department of Transportation's Capital Improvement Program funds and Federal Highways Administration bridge formula funding. "The Wailuku River Bridge is critical to connect our communities and economy on Hawai‘i Island, and we are moving forward to ensure this important infrastructure remains safe and available for generations to come," Hawai‘i Director of Transportation Ed Sniffen told Hawai‘i Department of Transportation.
Initial steps towards these critical upgrades have been made possible, previously, by a federal Surface Transportation Block Grant covering the early stages of design and environmental impact studies. Hawai‘i Department of Transportation projects that bids for the construction work will be solicited in the fall of 2026, with the actual work set to start in spring 2027 and continue through the estimated completion in spring 2029. In effort to curb the impact on Hilo's motorists, Hawai‘i Department of Transportation has vowed to implement strategic measures to lessen traffic disruptions during the construction period.
