 Meeting to outline transportation plans
By Robbie Dingeman
and Scott Ishikawa
Advertiser Staff Writers
Nimitz Highway from the Ke‘ehi Interchange to near Pacific Street would be double-decked under a proposal being considered by the state.
A similar proposal in 1997 to ease rush-hour traffic jams drew opposition from the Kalihi community and was withdrawn, but the state Department of Transportation has included "improvements" to Nimitz Highway in a list of projects now under review. The projected cost is $192.7 million.
The list of road projects is being compiled as part of the O‘ahu Metropolitan Planning Organization’s 2025 transportation plan, which includes highway and road projects eligible for federal financing over the next 25 years. A double-deck viaduct is one of "several options" being looked at to deal with the Nimitz bottleneck, transportation department spokeswoman Marilyn Kali said.
The last proposal was for two elevated lanes on one side of the highway for carpool vehicles during rush hours. It would have brought traffic from the Zipper Lane into downtown.
"No matter how you look at it, it still looks like it’s putting more concrete and double-decking Nimitz, while such cities as San Francisco are trying to remove such structures," said Honolulu City Council Transportation Chairman Duke Bainum.
Members of the Kalihi community complained the previous $200 million plan for a double-decked Nimitz would be a blight along the harbor. Merchants were also concerned it would hurt business, and that traffic congestion would not change significantly.
"We’re concerned in Kalihi, major big-time concerned," Cindy Rasmussen of the Kalihi Business Association said Tuesday.
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