OK sought for night road work in 'Ewa
By Catherine E. Toth
Advertiser Central O'ahu Writer
Waipahu and West Loch residents say they're willing to lose a little sleep in exchange for some traffic relief, as the state prepares a $7 million project to widen a half-mile stretch of Fort Weaver Road.
To speed up construction and minimize traffic disruption, the state Department of Transportation has requested a noise variance permit from the Department of Health to allow crews to also work at night and on Sundays and holidays.
The project calls for widening Fort Weaver Road from four lanes to six between Farrington Highway and Laulaunui Street. Work is scheduled to run from March 2004 to March 2005.
"I'm not worried about the noise (during construction)," said Sen. Cal Kawamoto, D-18th (Waipahu, Pearl City), who lives in the area. "As long as we keep improving the situation, we can live with the construction."
"The majority (of residents) support whatever it takes to speed up the process," said Tesha Malama, 'Ewa Neighborhood Board chairwoman, who surveyed almost 80 households along Fort Weaver Road.
The Department of Transportation will hold a public meeting on the Fort Weaver Road widening project tonight at 7 at Holomua Elementary School, 91-1561 Keaunui Drive.
"The community is calling for relief, and I think we've been sacrificing quality of life. Now people are willing to sacrifice some sleep to get this relief," Malama said.
Meeting tonight
About 56,000 vehicles travel Fort Weaver Road every day, the Department of Transportation estimates.
"This is very important (to the community)," DOT spokesman Scott Ishikawa said. "There's a bottleneck on Fort Weaver Road during rush hours. ... We're hoping this will definitely improve traffic flow."
Planning for the second — and longer — phase from Laulaunui Street to Geiger Road has been delayed until April 2004, as the state had to rebid the project and hire a new design consultant. The state hopes to begin construction on that phase by October 2004.
The widening of Fort Weaver Road is the first of six regional road projects designed to improve traffic flow, as indicated in the 2010 'Ewa Highway Master Plan completed last year.
Other major traffic projects include new H-1 freeway interchanges in Kapolei and Makakilo; a north-south road from Kapolei to H-1; completing Kapolei Parkway from 'Ewa Beach to Ko Olina; and widening Fort Barrette Road to four lanes.
"The widening of (Fort Weaver Road) is just another piece of the puzzle of solving not just the traffic situation but all the infrastructure issues along the 'Ewa plains that come from growth," Malama said.
Reach Catherine E. Toth at or ctoth@honoluluadvertiser.com or 535-8103.
