LOCAL NEWS
Inspections suggested after concrete chunk falls from Ala Moana
by: Bryce Moore
6/2/20262 min read
HONOLULU (KHON2) — There was a scary moment for drivers at Ala Moana Center on Monday, June 1, when a large piece of concrete fell from the parking structure near the Keeaumoku ramp and smashed into a car.
The large chunk of concrete broke loose from Ala Moana just after 7 p.m. Monday evening — no injuries were reported, but the incident has raised fresh concerns about aging buildings at the mall.
“And so it looks like the area where the plate was, the concrete had delaminated and fell down to the street, you know, landing on the car,” said construction engineer Lance Luke.
Luke said the falling concrete came from what appears to have been a former planter wall where waterproofing failed and allowed moisture to corrode the structure over time.
“It’s fairly common, especially if there’s either no maintenance or a lack of maintenance,” Luke said.
A third-floor railing collapse led to the death of 21-year-old Nicholas Freitas in 2016 and another 21-year-old was left with permanent, debilitating injuries.
“Being in America, I’d be worried about lawsuits. I mean, if somebody dies, obviously that’s the worst case scenario, but millions and millions of dollars in reparations for those, for the families who’ve lost someone,” said Ryan Arbaugh.
One of the lanes heading out of Ala Moana has been closed due to the incident, but Luke said he hopes more precautions will be taken before repairs are done.
“My recommendation would be to close off that road and have the shopping center call their structural engineers to inspect and probably put some netting over that area,” Luke said.
“Looks kind of old-ish, but obviously the sea and the salt air corrodes it a lot faster, so there’s probably some inspections that need to go on around these, not only residential, well residential buildings, but also commercial ones too,” Arbaugh said.
“If you have a maintenance program and you stick to it, the building should be safer than it is now,” Luke said.
Ala Moana Center said in a statement:
“Ala Moana Center is aware of an incident in which a piece of concrete detached from an exterior wall of the parking structure. We are grateful that no injuries were reported. As a precaution, the affected exit lane was immediately closed and will remain blocked while we work with structural engineering and construction professionals to inspect the area and identify any necessary repairs. The safety of our customers, tenants and employees is our highest priority, and we are taking appropriate steps to address the situation as quickly and safely as possible.”
Watch: Falling Concrete at Ala Moana Center
This video is a reminder that aging buildings need regular inspections and timely repairs. Thankfully, no one was hurt, but falling concrete is a serious public safety warning that should never be ignored.
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