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The Honolulu Advertiser
Posted on: Friday, November 23, 2001

Kahekili criticism persists

By Eloise Aguiar
Windward OÎahu Writer

KANE'OHE — The latest version of the beautification plan for Kahekili Highway bears little resemblance to a proposal submitted by a citizens committee in May that included design elements to slow traffic and minimize the stark concrete corridor built through Kane'ohe in 1997.

Residents are disappointed that the problem of speeding traffic wasn't addressed and that more planting couldn't be done with the $2.5 million budget.

The latest plan includes planter boxes at the mauka wall between Ha'iku Road and Kahuhipa Street, two large median planters near Kulukeoe Street and Ha'iku and the texturing of some of the walls, said Philip Mowrey, a Kane'ohe Neighborhood Board member.

"It's hard to imagine that it cost that much," Mowrey said. "Somehow the state has got to open this up to more competitive bidding."

Since the road was expanded to six lanes in 1997, the state Department of Transportation has been criticized for the design, which includes concrete walls that are 20 feet high in places. The walls act as sound barriers for nearby homes.

The Outdoor Circle, neighborhood boards and community associations have sought state money to improve that stretch of highway for years and were pleased to learn that federal money was available and something would be done.

In January, the DOT unveiled a plan to improve what some have referred to as a scar on the community, saying it is dangerous, noisy and ugly. The department invited residents to join an ad hoc committee to contribute their ideas. From that panel came suggestions including landscaping that would reduce speeding by making the lanes narrower, and installing planters between the road and sidewalk to improve pedestrian safety. Neither of these suggestions is found in the newest plan, said Mowrey, a member of the committee.

Spokeswoman Marilyn Kali said the DOT explored the possibility of planting small trees on the side of the road, but couldn't do that without widening the sidewalk to meet requirements of the Americans With Disabilities Act. Widening the sidewalk would have been costly, said Kali.

"The existing corridor is fully built out," Kali said. "There is no additional space to plant landscaping unless we acquire more right of way or decrease the existing width of the widened highway. We have done our best to accommodate the community. However, they are asking for something that is beyond the scope of this project."

George Okuda, also a member of the committee and the Kahalu'u Neighborhood Board, said the newest plan doesn't have everything the ad hoc committee wanted, which has disappointed some people. But Okuda would like to go ahead with the plan rather than risk losing the money for it.

"For me it's a start," Okuda said. "Let's go ahead and see what we can do additionally," Okuda said. "If we're talking about speeding, it's a matter of enforcement and education."

Reach Eloise Aguiar at 234-5266 or eaguiar@honoluluadvertiser.com.