Lane could ease Pali jam during repairs

By Mike Leidemann
Advertiser Transportation Writer

State officials plan to include an early-morning contraflow lane for Windward commuters when work starts on an emergency hillside clearing project at Castle Junction later this year.

The contraflow lane would run from Quarry Road to Castle Junction on Kalaniana'ole Highway from 5:30 a.m. to 6:45 a.m. during the six- to eight-month project, state Transportation Director Rod Haraga said yesterday.

The state plans to put the project, estimated to cost $20 million to $25 million, out to bid within a month and start construction by December.

Once started, work will continue around the clock and on weekends until finished, Haraga said. "We're going to go at this hard and fast, 24/seven, to get it finished as soon as possible," he said.

The project will shave away a rock hillside hanging above the highway and replace it with a gentle landscaped slope. The area where Kalaniana'ole, Kamehameha and Pali Highways come together is listed as the fifth-most-dangerous site in a recent state report for potential rockfalls along O'ahu roads.

The contraflow lane, first proposed by state Sen. Fred Hemmings, will provide some relief for thousands of town-bound motorists during the construction period, Haraga said.

After 6:30 a.m., traffic moving through the intersection becomes too heavy to allow safe use of the contraflow lane, said DOT spokesman Scott Ishikawa.

"It just gets really messy after that time," Ishikawa said.

The contract will include financial incentives to finish the work quickly, Haraga said. But at some times

during construction, town-bound traffic on the stretch of road approaching Castle Junction will be limited to one lane, he said.

Reach Mike Leidemann at 525-5460 or mleidemann@honoluluadvertiser.com

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