By Suzanne Roig
Advertiser East Honolulu Bureau
WAI‘ALAE IKI — Wary eyes were on East Honolulu yesterday to see whether the start of trial work on the Kalaniana‘ole Highway would bring any hint of traffic jams like those during the epic five-year widening project of the early 1990s.
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| Traffic flowed smoothly during yesterday’s warmup for two years of water-main work along Kalaniana‘ole Highway.
Richard Ambo • The Honolulu Advertiser |
Drivers left a few minutes early, police monitored traffic flow and transportation officials downtown observed conditions using cameras installed during the widening project.
From all reports, traffic seemed to move along smoothly during the first day of preliminary work that precedes a two-year project to replace a water main.
When the road was widened, mammoth traffic jams were common, largely because only one lane was open in each direction. But yesterday, two lanes were kept open and that will be the case for the duration of the water-main project.
Contraflow lanes were in place as work began along the mauka side of the highway fronting Kalani High School from ‘üinakoa Avenue to Kalani Iki. Police officers were stationed at key intersections to help traffic flow.
The police department didn’t log any complaint calls, said Capt. Scott Foster.
"So far, there were no problems," he said. "We want to make sure the traffic cuts through OK. We closed down the side streets. If traffic keeps moving, things should be OK."
Residents have feared that the state’s mile-long water-main replacement project from West Hind Drive to ‘Ainakoa Avenue would cause major traffic jams. At several meetings over the past two months, residents have questioned the state Department of Transportation about doing the work at night.
State officials have decided not to work at night on the roadway because it would be too noisy, and some homes are less than 10 feet from the roadway. But officials have said they will revisit the idea if congestion gets too bad.
The Hawai‘i Kai Neighborhood Board recently voted to recommend night work only.
The Wai‘alae Golf Course Community Association, which represents a small subdivision across the highway from Kalani High, has reservations about night work. The association favors it, as long as it would speed up the project, save the state money and be done solely at night, said its president, Lester Leu.
The first phase of water-main replacement, a quarter-mile from ‘Ainakoa Avenue to Laukahi Street, is expected to take four months. Crews will begin that work April 9.
Meanwhile, the Gas Co. will finish its line work along the median on the mauka side. Steve Golden, company spokesman, said the work will be done by mid-March, two weeks sooner than expected.
The second leg of the work on the water main, three-quarters of a mile from Kaimoku Street to West Hind Drive, will take nine months. The remaining time will be used for repaving and guardrail work.
"It has to be done," said Leu. "We all have to sacrifice. We’re willing to work with people."
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