State to raise speed limits
| • | Map: Increasing speed limits on H-1, H-3 |
By Mike Leidemann
Advertiser Transportation Writer
Motorists soon will be able to drive a little faster on portions of the H-1 and H-3 freeways.
Gov. Ben Cayetano yesterday said the state Department of Transportation will raise speed limits on parts of the freeways from 55 mph to 60 mph. The affected areas include H-1 Freeway between the Makakilo and Kunia interchanges, and H-3 Freeway between the Halawa Interchange and the Halawa entrance to the tunnel.
The increases, which will take effect in mid-May, come as a result of a study initiated at the height of Hawai'i's debate over the now-defunct traffic camera enforcement program.
During the public and legislative debates over the camera program this year, many Hawai'i drivers complained that speed limits on state roads were unreasonably low. Lawmakers responded by asking the Department of Transportation to review speed limits on all state highways.
"From what I see and know, it makes a lot of sense to raise the limits in those areas," said Sen. Fred Hemmings, R-25th (Kailua, Waimanalo). "It's consistent with what's being done on the Mainland, and all our expert testimony showed that speed limits were not the real safety problem."
Others, however, weren't so happy with the decision to raise the limits.
"Those are the areas where they already go too fast," said Sen. Cal Kawamoto, D-19th (Waipahu, Pearl City). "So we increase the speed limits to 60 mph, and the judges have been telling people it's OK to go 10 mph over the limit.
"Now, everybody will think it's OK to be going 70 mph and they'll end up doing 75.
"Pretty soon, there's going to be trouble again. Somebody's going to get hurt."
State Transportation Director Brian Minaai said engineers studied the existing roadway geometrics of the highway and compared them to current design standards. The engineers then used that information to establish baseline speed limits for various sections of the freeways.
"When the existing speed limit was less than the base speed limit," the engineers then reviewed other factors like previous crashes, horizontal curves, concrete barriers and other speed data to see whether the limit could be reasonably raised, Minaai said.
It was not immediately clear whether the initial review included all sections of H-1 and if any other speed limit changes on that freeway would be forthcoming.
However, Cayetano said future phases of the statewide speed limit review will include H-2 Freeway; H-3 Freeway from the tunnels to the Kane'ohe Interchange; Likelike Highway from Valley View Drive to the tunnel; Pali Highway from Waokanaka Street to Castle Junction; and Fort Weaver Road from Geiger road to Pohakupuna Road.
Meanwhile yesterday, Kawamoto said that ACS, State and Local Solutions, the private company that operated the traffic camera program for the state, has lowered its compensation demands for termination of its contract to less than $4 million.
Last week, when Cayetano shut down the controversial program, Minaai said ACS could seek as much as $8 million to recover its development and startup expenses.
"I'm hearing a much lower figure in my conversations now," said Kawamoto, who is trying to broker a deal in which ACS officials would renounce all compensation in return for being able to continue running the red-light portion of the traffic photo enforcement program for several years.
In return for written assurances that the company would not sue the state for breach of contract, Kawamoto said he might be able to convince enough senators to override a Cayetano veto of the camera repeal bill, allowing the existing red-light part of the program to continue.
"That would save us $4 million, which we don't have anyway," Kawamoto said.
"I heard they like the idea, but they haven't put anything in writing yet. Without that written assurance, we can't do anything further."
Reach Mike Leidemann at 525-5460 or mleidemann@honoluluadvertiser.com.
