Pavers back on Kalaniana'ole

By Mike Leidemann
Advertiser Transportation Writer

East Honolulu traffic alert: The road repavers are returning to Kalaniana'ole Highway.

Starting Monday, crews will begin resurfacing the highway between Hawai'i Kai and Kahala. The state Department of Transportation says drivers should expect some delays and use extra caution.

In the first phase of the work, crews will repave all the west-bound lanes. That means two of the three 'ewa-bound lanes will be closed between Nenue Street and Wa'a Street from 8:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. on weekdays.

However, one kokohead-bound lane will be contraflowed to give drivers two lanes of moving traffic in each direction, department spokeswoman Marilyn Kali said.

"We're hopeful and confident we can keep the delays to a minimum," Kali said.

The work also means that left turns off the highway onto Nenue Street, West Hind Drive, Wailupe Circle, Ka'ai Street and Wa'a Street will be prohibited during contraflow time. U-turns will be allowed at East Hind Drive and Anali'i Street.

The start of the resurfacing work, which is expected to last up to 20 weeks, comes as another major project on the highway is winding down.

The Board of Water Supply is scheduled to complete its installation of a new 16-inch water main line along the makai side of the highway early this summer.

That's about three months earlier than the state initially projected the $6 million job would take on Kalani-ana'ole, the only artery to and from East Honolulu.

East O'ahu residents had feared that the construction projects might result in traffic nightmares similar to when the state widened the highway in the early 1990s. But residents and officials have said those type of problems have not developed this year, in part because the extra highway lanes built during the widening project allow smoother traffic flow around the construction work.

Reach Mike Leidemann at 525-5460 or mleidemann@honoluluadvertiser.com