High Friction Surface Treatment in Hawaii

About 60,000 vehicles travel over all three routes on Hawaii’s Pali Highway every day. 

Also known as Hawaii Route 61, Pali High is a very important road because it connects Honolulu with the other side of the island. This route, however, can be dangerous. There are steep slopes and a tight hairpin turn. With many cars traveling at high speeds, accidents and fatalities are more commonplace. 

That’s where ACC West Coast was able to help by providing a High Friction Surface Treatment. 

“A High Friction Surface Treatment (HFST) is a safety countermeasure that increases the frictional properties of the roadway while also reducing roadway departures on horizontal curve crashes,” said Project Manager Kaitlyn Walker. “It just kinda gives you a little more grip for the tires. It’s essentially super-gluing a hard rock to the surface.” 

ACC’s advanced automation installation system removes all human error from the process. Across all lanes, the highway will have exactly the same amount of thickness and rock drop. And while automated installation has become more and more popular in the past five years, only a few companies provide this service nationwide. 

“What sets ACC apart is that all of our equipment is custom built in house by our mechanics, the ones that operate it every day and know how it works” said Walker. 

Deputy Director for Highways Ed Sniffen says the treatment has been working out perfectly. 

“We get texts daily from the community in that area about how much they appreciate this grippy material,” said Sniffen. 

IEA and ACC are proud to specialize in this type of work. 

“To be on a project and see roadway markers...and know that somebody lost their life at that curve, but we’re here to make a difference, just means the world to me,” said Walker.