Posted on: Tuesday, July 6, 2004
Work to begin on city bus plan
By James Gonser
Advertiser Urban Honolulu Writer
The city is moving forward to prepare sites for six stops in its proposed Bus Rapid Transit system, with construction set to begin tomorrow on Bishop Street, blocking traffic lanes on weekdays for six to eight weeks.
Contractor Hawaiian Dredging is doing the work and also is doing prep work for BRT stations at Ilalo in Kaka'ako, near the University of Hawai'i's new medical school; at Auahi near Ward Warehouse; and three stations in Waikiki, according to city spokeswoman Carol Costa.
Each site will cost $700,000 to $800,000, Costa said. These stops are part of the initial BRT segment that will run a 5.6-mile route from downtown Honolulu to Waikiki via Kaka'ako.
The city's BRT line is projected to be built over the next 14 years and ultimately extend from Kapolei to the University of Hawai'i at Manoa. The plan is to use dedicated bus lanes with hybrid electric-gas buses making limited stops to help with pressing traffic-congestion issues throughout the island.
The work beginning tomorrow will include tearing out the 'Ewa lane of Bishop Street, underground utility work, concrete bus pads, sidewalk reconstruction, transit platforms, traffic signal changes, handicapped curb ramps, new landscaping and street lighting, electrical work, road striping, new signs and crosswalks, according to Costa.
The construction on Bishop Street between Queen Street and Nimitz Highway will close two traffic lanes from 7 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. weekdays into September. Bishop Street now has two travel lanes, one freight loading zone and a parking lane on the Diamond Head side of the street.
The contractor will keep two travel lanes open by eliminating the freight loading area and on-street parking, Costa said.
A public notice was published in The Advertiser for the project July 1 to 3 giving general information, but Robert Zabriskie, owner of the Bishop Street Cafe on the block where the work will take place, hadn't heard any details about the project Friday.
"I am going to wait and see," Zabriskie said. "I have no idea what they are going to do. My concern would be the noise. I have an outdoor ... seating area."
Zabriskie said work was done last month on a storm drain at the corner of Bishop Street and Nimitz Highway that was noisy, but the crews took a break at lunch time, so the construction didn't bother his customers.
"It wasn't that big of a deal, but it was necessary work and it only took a week," he said.
The city has authorized spending $31 million in local money for the initial line. An O'ahu Metropolitan Planning Organization oversight committee last week approved a measure that will let the city seek $20 million in federal money for the project.
That money would be used to widen parts of Ala Moana Boulevard and Kalia Road, build seven bus stations and make other improvements for the new service to link downtown Honolulu and Waikiki via Kaka'ako.
Lynne Matusow, chairwoman of the Downtown Neighborhood Board, said another city project beginning this week on Punchbowl Street between Ala Moana Boulevard and King Street will also close two traffic lanes on weekdays.
Matusow said the two projects will cause traffic problems for commuters, but the board voted to support BRT because it eventually could help reduce the number of cars on the road.
"We need it," Matusow said.
Reach James Gonser at jgonser@honoluluadvertiser.com or 535-2431.
