Kane'ohe traffic snarled
By Eloise Aguiar
Windward Bureau
KANE'OHE — About a half-dozen road projects along Kamehameha Highway in Kane'ohe yesterday brought traffic to a near-standstill.
Residents can expect continued slowdowns as crews do such things as build curb modifications, replace electrical boxes and repave roads for at least another week on Kamehameha.
Motorists should also prepare for a resurfacing project to begin this week on Kahekili Highway from Ha'iku Road to Hui Iwa, where the Board of Water Supply is installing a 42-inch main.
The work will go on from 8:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. and close down one lane.
Most of the projects on Kamehameha Highway yesterday were small, but at least two required lane closures.
The others slowed traffic along a two-mile stretch of the highway between Waikalua Road and Mokulele Drive.
Between Waikalua Road and the Honda Windward dealership on Kamehameha Highway, work prevented drivers from making left turns across the highway.
A city resurfacing project shut down one of the Kahuku-bound lanes on Kamehameha for about a mile.
The repaving work, which began Tuesday, is expected to last another week, said city inspector Cheryl Agena. Drivers can expect lane closures for the duration.
"They've been working as fast as anybody could possibly work," Agena said.
The entire project, which also includes striping the road and adjusting manholes, will take two weeks, she said.
The work affected businesses and tested the patience of drivers sitting in the hot sun.
A police officer at the Pua Inia Street intersection kept traffic flowing, but people still had to wait.
"Everybody is at a standstill," said Paul Maldonado, Union 76 gas attendant and cashier at the station.
Traffic was worse yesterday than the day before, when the project began, the attendant said.
"Business is bad. Nobody can come in or out because of the cars."
Honda Windward remained open and had its driveway blocked by construction for only a short time, said Marty Barger, general sales manager.
Construction started in front of the dealership Tuesday.
"It was just a mess when they were grinding in front of the store, when obviously we couldn't get in," Barger said.
The Kamehameha resurfacing is part of a city road rehabilitation project that included about two miles on 'ühuimanu Road and about one mile on Mokulele Drive, Agena said.
The entire contract for $1.3 million to Grace Pacific covered approximately four miles, she said.
