Wai'anae Coast traffic barriers lacking support
By Will Hoover and Brandon Masuoka
Advertiser Staff Writers
A fatal head-on collision Monday on Farrington Highway along the Wai'anae Coast has renewed calls that something be done about one of Hawai'i's most lethal stretches of highway.
Since 1990, 76 people lost their lives in traffic accidents between Honokai Hale and Ka'ena Point.
Melvin Kunukau Jr., 34, was the 76th fatality, killed in the four-vehicle accident near Ma'ili Point that left two other men hospitalized. Police said the crash might have been avoided had concrete barriers been in place to separate lanes of traffic moving in opposite directions.
Department of Transportation spokeswoman Marilyn Kali said yesterday that the suggested barriers are not a new idea. They already got a thumbs-down along Leeward O'ahu.
"Residents were not interested in barriers because they mean you can't go across the road," said Kali. "And residents are used to making left-hand turns into every business and driveway."
Cynthia Rezentes, chairwoman of the Wa'ianae Coast Neighborhood Board, agrees that the barriers have not been a popular suggestion because they make travel extremely inconvenient for people who live in the area.
But on a short-term basis, they could save lives at specific areas, such as the sharp seaside curve where the fatal accident occurred, she said.
"The deal is we don't want barriers as a permanent solution," said Rezentes.
State Sen. Colleen Hanabusa agrees, saying she has been awaiting safety improvements on Farrington Highway, including temporary fixes, such as a barrier that would separate traffic.
Some residents have criticized the proposed temporary barriers, saying that they would be ugly and limit pedestrian and motorist crossings, Hanabusa said.
Hanabusa, D-21st (Barbers Point, Makaha), pointed out that a temporary barrier might be ugly but it still saves lives. In the meantime, she wants the state to fast-track the Wa'ianae Coast safety improvements, including the stretch near Mai'li Point.
Neighborhood board member Mark Suiso says numerous suggestions have been made to improve Farrington Highway safety — including better lighting, rumble strips and median barriers.
He said the basic problem has been that the road is too narrow, speeding is prevalent, and there is a perpetual conflict of purpose among motorists traveling the highway, resident drivers who make frequent left and right turns, and pedestrians crossing the highway on foot.
"The barriers have been controversial, but it's not fair to say people don't want them,"said Suiso, whose nephew was killed in a similar accident on Farrington several years ago.
"Our problem is that we know there is a lot of speeding and, because it's not a divided highway, it makes it really dangerous."
Monday's accident stalled Leeward Coast traffic for more than five hours. A 24-year-old man in a Ford Contour veered into oncoming traffic and slammed into Kunukau, who was driving a Mitsubishi Gallant.
The driver of the Ford remained in critical condition at The Queen's Medical Center yesterday. A 27-year-old driver of a subcompact that was also struck was taken to Queen's and was in fair condition.
