By Mike Leidemann
Advertiser Transportation Writer

Transportation notes from near and far:

Two kokohead-bound lanes of Kalaniana'ole Highway will be closed from 8:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. this week between Kaimoku Place and Nenue Street for resurfacing work.

During the work, one 'ewa-bound lane will be contraflowed to give drivers two kokohead-bound lanes. Left turns off Kalaniana'ole Highway onto side streets will be prohibited. U-turns will be allowed at Analii Street for access to makai side streets and at East Hind Drive for access to mauka side streets.

The state Transportation Department says motorists should anticipate delays and allow for extra travel time.

Gov. Gray Davis yesterday signed a law that would make California the first state to restrict automobile emissions of carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases believed to contribute to global warming. He predicted other states and the federal government would eventually follow suit.

Automakers waged a multimillion-dollar campaign to fight the bill, which places restrictions on new cars and light trucks beginning in 2009. They insist the move will increase the price of vehicles.

Backers of the bill maintain cars and light trucks are responsible for as much as 40 percent of California's carbon dioxide emissions, which form a heat-trapping blanket in the atmosphere.

Groundbreaking ceremonies will be held today on Maui for the Pu'unene Avenue and Mokulele Highway widening project.

This $9.2 million contract is the first phase in a five-phase project, which will eventually widen Pu'unene Avenue and Mokulele Highway from two to four lanes beginning at Kuihelani Highway and ending at Pi'ilani Highway. The stretch of road is frequently one of the most congested spots on Maui.

Work on the project includes removing the existing pavement and constructing a new divided highway; relocating power and telephone poles and underground utilities; constructing drainage structures and bridges; installing traffic signals, guard rails, signs, and pavement markings; landscaping; and adding a bikeway and pedestrian walkway.

Completion of the first phase is set for next August.

State officials are urging H-3 drivers to use extra caution in the next month. The right lane of the freeway in the Kane'ohe-bound direction of the tunnel will be closed weekdays from 8:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. for structural survey work through the end of August.

Dangerous drivers — ones who engage in angry or threatening behavior, including tailgating, chasing or cutting off another car — were more likely than other drivers to have been involved in a serious car crash at some time, or any crash within the year, according to a new study.

Angry drivers also were more likely to drive after drinking too much, to speed regularly, and to have received a traffic ticket in the previous year.

The study also found that acts of aggression in automobiles occur most commonly on Fridays, during afternoon rush hours, and not necessarily in the heaviest of traffic.

The study results are reported in the May issue of the journal Accident Analysis and Prevention.

More than 65 percent of Americans admit to eating occasionally while driving, and 17 percent of them frequently or always do, according to a Nationwide Insurance Co. survey. Moreover, the marketing research firm NPD Group reports that Americans now eat 18 percent of their meals behind the wheel — nearly one in five dining experiences a la carburetor cafe.

Big deal? Well, 20 percent of them admitted to steering with their thighs while eating.

A growing number of automobile makers are going into the publishing business, sinking millions of dollars into publications that detail the products and lifestyles associated with their brands.

Ford Motor Co.'s Ford Division, for instance, launched My Ford magazine late last year. And several other automakers, including General Motors Corp.'s Cadillac division and Volvo AB, have launched new magazines in the past few years as a way to maintain their ties with customers.

The magazines themselves, which are usually sent to customers free, aren't profitable. But automakers say they can translate into sales later on because they influence their customers to want to buy again.