City revises median plan for Hawai'i Kai

By Suzanne Roig
Advertiser East Honolulu Writer

HAWAI'I KAI — The city has revised plans for a tree-lined median along Lunalilo Home Road to include accommodations for U-turns and left turns, issues raised by residents at a recent community meeting.

Those features should have been included in the original design plans, said Ben Lee, city managing director. The newest plans will be laid out for the community at a special meeting at 7 p.m. tomorrow at Haha'ione Elementary School.

Timing is critical because the city must hire a contractor by Dec. 31 or the $1 million set aside for the project will lapse and the project will be shelved until money becomes available again.

The city plans to copy the formula used in other areas where medians were landscaped — on Kailua Road, Punchbowl Street, Ala Moana and Pali Highway — Lee said.

Trees will be planted 40 to 50 feet apart from Kalaniana'ole Highway to Kalakua Street, with intersections at street corners and places to make U-turns mid-block, said Tom Ishii, a member of the Hawai'i Kai Neighborhood Board.

The city unveiled its plans Nov. 26 to residents, who were upset that the city hadn't consulted them before hiring an architect for $200,000 to prepare the design.

The city would like to start the project in July, with work expected to last two or three months.

"I haven't seen the revised plans, but I know that they include left-turn lanes," Lee said. "I know that it's not a problem to add them. We agree with the community that it should be done. We want to show the community how successful the project has been in other areas."

The city has said the tree medians help define the character of the neighborhood and provide a sense of entry into the community. The tree medians are part of a city initiative and a regional plan to plant 10,000 trees in Honolulu.

Reach Suzanne Roig at sroig@honoluluadvertiser.com or 395-8831.