Viaduct, road safety hot topics at forum

By Will Hoover
Advertiser Staff Writer

Among a laundry list of highway projects that state and city transportation officials outlined for about 120 people gathered at Pearl Ridge Elementary School last night, two dominated the discussion:

• The widening of H-1 Freeway's westbound Waimalu Viaduct near Aloha Stadium — which would tie up traffic for 18 months at one of O'ahu's most notorious bottlenecks.
• What can be done to improve safety along Kamehameha Highway between 'Aiea and Pearlridge, a section of the thoroughfare where two pedestrians were killed in the past two weeks.

Several people at the meeting, which was hosted by legislators from the area, brought up the subject of what could be done to stop speeding and racing on the freeway and Kamehameha Highway, which have been the cause of increasing public concern.

Sen. Cal Kawamoto, D-18th (Waipahu, Crestview, Pearl City), said bills he had introduced to address that issue have stalled because of a reluctance on the part of some legislators to pass tougher traffic laws.

He said 37,000 speeding tickets were issued on O'ahu last year — an increase of 12,000 from the year before.

"And yet, people don't want to criminalize speeding," Kawamoto said.

Rodney Haraga, state director of transportation, gave a presentation showing how work done along and below the H-1 viaduct would extend shoulders, add a lane to the Pearl City off-ramp, install walls to block noise, and relieve traffic congestion, among other changes.

More than one resident questioned whether the 32-inch barriers would be enough to curb noise and block debris raining down from large trucks. Haraga said his department would study that issue. He also said he hopes for some compromise between those who live beneath the viaduct who want the barriers higher and those who live elsewhere who find higher barriers unattractive.

"We don't want this to look like the L.A. Freeway," said Haraga.

Rep. Mark Takai, D-34th (Pearl City, Newtown, Royal Summit), asked for community input on what can be done to improve what he called the "Kam Highway corridor," a stretch of around 5 miles for which improvements have been discussed for a number of years.

Larry Lamberth of Royal Summit stood to say other projects have been completed without extended and costly studies. "How about a little more doing and a little less studying?" said Lamberth.

Takai said that all too often other projects were done haphazardly because they didn't follow a master plan.

"This ... project is supposed to be our community's plan for the future," said Takai.

Reach Will Hoover at 525-8038 or at whoover@honoluluadvertiser.com.