Size of signs still a problem for Windward residents
By Eloise Aguiar
Windward Bureau
Smaller versions of the message signs that were condemned by the community more than three years ago because they were too large are being installed in Kailua and Kane'ohe as aids to motorists.
Cory Lum • The Honolulu Advertiser
But some drivers say the state may have gone too far in the other direction.
A tunnel advisory sign near Hawai'i Pacific University along Kamehameha is one of the new road signs some call too small.
The state Department of Transportation is wrapping up a $544,000 project to install seven signs on roads that lead to Windward tunnels, said Glenn Yasui, state highway administrator.
Their main purpose is to warn drivers about possible tunnel closures and are part of the H-3 project.
More than three years ago Kailua and Kane'ohe residents strongly opposed a state plan to install overhead signs that would have spanned Kalaniana'ole, Kamehameha, Kahekili, H-3 and Likelike highways. The signs would have blocked scenic views and were, for the most part, larger than necessary, residents said.
Although some of the large overhead signs have been installed, the state agreed to reduce the size of others and redesign larger ones so they were not solid structures that blocked views, said Mary Steiner, chief executive officer of the Outdoor Circle.
"The big signs were shot down at public hearings and neighborhood boards," said Dean Harvest, transportation department spokesman, adding that the department stored them and expects to use them in the future.
About seven of the new signs have been up for about a week, but some people haven't seen them or passed too quickly to read them.
"You have to go by three or four times before you get the whole picture," said Donna Wong, Kailua Neighborhood Board member.
Variable Message Signs:
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Kalaniana'ole Highway near Castle hospital, 6"x12"
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Kane'ohe Bay Drive near Castle High School, 5"x8"
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Kamehameha Highway/Pua Inia Street, 5"x8"
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Kahekili Highway/Kulukeoe Street, 4.5"x17.25"
Changeable message signs 5"x8" or 7"x8":
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Kalaniana'ole Highway/Auloa Road
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Kamehameha Highway/ Hawai'i Pacific University
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Likelike Highway/Anoi Road
Still, Wong said the smaller signs are much better than what was planned originally.
Yasui said the new signs, although less obtrusive, are problematic.
"If it takes longer for you to read it, it could cause a traffic hazard," he said, also noting that because the signs are on the side of the road they could be blocked from view by other cars or trucks.
The signs are in Kailua on Kalaniana'ole Highway, on both sides of Castle hospital.
The rest are in Kane'ohe by Hawai'i Pacific University, Castle High School, at Likelike Highway and Anoi Road, at Kamehameha Highway and Pua Inia Street, and at Kahekili Highway and Kulukeoe Street.
The state is installing either variable message signs, in which the message can change, or changeable message signs that have up to three fixed messages.
Denise De Costa, a Kane'ohe Neighborhood Board member who saw one of the signs, worried about its visibility.
"It was not as intrusive as the overhead ones, but I'm not sure people will see it as well," De Costa said.
She also said she thought the signs were very useful to drivers.
Bill Russell, a Kane'ohe board member, said the letters were too large and the message moved too fast. Russell said the state should stick with the portable signs that can be tucked out of view when they aren't needed.
"It just seems like they've gone a little overboard to me," he said.
Reach Eloise Aguiar at eaguiar@honoluluadvertiser.com or 234-5266.
