Posted on: Friday, November 8, 2002

H-1 idea draws mixed response

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By Catherine E. Toth
Advertiser Staff Writer

Governor-elect Linda Lingle's suggestion that H-1 Freeway could be made into a double-decker highway from Kapolei to Honolulu is generating concerns over costs and aesthetics, but as one commuter noted: "We need to do something."

The daily gridlock that has resulted from a decade of rapid growth is one of the most serious quality of life issues in Central and Leeward O'ahu. But some wonder whether the anticipated costs of building an elevated highway would be worth the quicker commute and whether other options might be as effective.

"We're not going to build our way out of our problems," said Jeff Mikulina, director of the Sierra Club's Hawai'i Chapter. "There are other ways to tackle that problem that are more sensible ... and that spend taxpayer money better."

Mikulina's solutions are to move people away from cars to mass transit, implement staggered work hours or encourage telecommuting.

State Sen. Brian Kanno, D-20th ('Ewa Beach, Makakilo, Kapolei) believes turning Kapolei into a true Second City is still a feasible answer for an area where development has outstripped infrastructure.

George Yamamoto, chairman of the Makakilo/Kapolei/Honokai Hale Neighborhood Board, agreed, saying that economic opportunities in Central O'ahu need to be developed.

Some transportation improvements, such as the zipper lane, have helped reduce traffic and commuting time, Kanno said.

"With each improvement, (the situation) gets better," Kanno said. But, "everything that could help with the traffic, we need to look at," he said.

Lingle said she didn't know how much building this "super zipper" reversible highway would cost, but suggested a possible $1 fee each way for users, similar to paying a toll.

Kapolei resident Brent Buckley, whose daily commute is between 45 minutes and an hour, said rush hour traffic varies from "very aggravating to tolerable."

"Traffic is so close to capacity that one stalled car stops traffic for miles," and something must be done, said Buckley, an animal science professor at the University of Hawai'i.

Buckley doesn't think Lingle's idea is ground-breaking, but he does see the benefit of having an elevated highway devoid of on- and off-ramps.

"It's certainly a way of utilizing the land mass more efficiently," Buckley said. "But it's expensive and takes time to build."

Others, however, question the proposal's aesthetic value.

"One of our concerns in the past has been keeping our traffic improvements attractive," Kanno said. "That would be clearly one of the concerns with this system."

Reach Catherine E. Toth at 535-8103 or at ctoth@honoluluadvertiser.com.