The main road on the island’s Hāmākua Coast traverses land corrugated by river gullies. For the wider gullies, the road winds down one side and up the other. But gullies that are narrower and steep sided are spanned by bridges. Several of these bridges started life supporting the railroad that ran along this coast. When that closed, they were repurposed as highway bridges. This was back in 1953, which means they’re old and suffering under the demands of modern traffic.

The bridge over Kolekole Gulch has been getting some renovations that were recently completed. Below the bridge is Kolekole Gulch Park, which has also been recently renovated, except for one small detail. One issue at the park has yet to be dealt with, and that’s lead contamination in the soil. The lead comes from the bridge, the result of 50 years of lead paint being applied, and then flaking off it.

It’s been more than 7 years since the problem was identified, but not much has been done, except for fencing off some of the worst areas and not allowing camping at the park. In the meantime, you can walk on the grass, but don’t eat the soil!