Steel plates slow speeders, official says
By James Gonser
Advertiser Leeward Bureau
In the effort to slow down drivers and make highways safer, state Department of Transportation Director Brian Minaai says one solution really works — steel plates.
Deborah Booker • The Honolulu Advertiser
At a February forum to discuss driving safety on Kamehameha Highway near Kipapa Gulch, Minaai said drivers always slow down when they see the blue lights of a police car and when passing over steel plates in the road at construction sites.
A car passes over a steel plate at a construction site on Kamakee Street as an officer directs traffic.
Minaai will forward the idea of placing steel plates on Farrington Highway to slow down drivers at a traffic safety briefing at 6 p.m. today at the Wai'anae Public Library, 85-625 Farrington Highway.
Cynthia Rezentes, chairwoman of the Wai'anae Coast Neighborhood Board, said putting steel plates on the road is a bad idea, even if Minaai has good intentions.
"The steel plates could damage tires and will increase road maintenance," Rezentes said. "Who is liable if it causes an accident? Will the state align all our cars and pay for tire damage?
"I don't know of any other municipality that would even broach the subject of introducing a road hazard which could potentially cause more problems."
The meeting, sponsored by Sen. Colleen Hanabusa, will look into several ways to make the highway safer, including new medial dividers and more stop lights.
Last year, 12 people died in traffic-related accidents on Farrington Highway between Honokai Hale and Ka'ena Point, many involving speeding drivers.
Minaai said drivers always slow down when seeing steel plates because they are are worried about damage to their cars.
Danny Oshiro, a salesman at Ferro Union Hawaii Inc. in Campbell Industrial Park, said the 3/4-inch steel plates are usually 6 feet by 12 feet and weigh about 2,940 pounds.
The plates, generally used in steel construction, cost about $1,250 each.
Oshiro said contractors usually throw the steel plates over holes in the roads because it is a simple solution to making roads temporarily usable.
Transportation spokeswoman Marilyn Kali, who attended a traffic safety forum last week, said the state is desperate to get drivers to slow down, although steel plates may not be the preferred solution.
The department's traffic branch is researching a new type of speed strip, made of rough textured material that could be placed on roads, Kali said.
"It is safer than the steel plates and will have more of an impact," Kali said. "Nationally, speeding is a major problem. What you need to do is get people's attention."
For more information on the meeting, call 586-7793.
