By Mike Leidemann
Advertiser Transportation Writer

Last week's announcement that the state Transportation Department wants to close an on-ramp to see if it helps traffic on H-1 Freeway could be the first action in a new battle to ease congestion on Honolulu roadways.

While debate and planning continue on big-picture transportation items such as a rail line and bus rapid transit, state officials say they're looking at jump-starting several more projects that can help in the short run.

Closing the Lunalilo Street on-ramp during morning rush hours for a trial period of three months is just the first item on the agenda, state Transportation Director Rod Haraga said.

Engineers say the mixing of the Lunalilo on-ramp and Vineyard Street off-ramp in less than a quarter-mile is the prime culprit in a traffic backlog on the westbound freeway that can stretch for several miles in the morning. So let's close the on-ramp and take a look at what happens, officials suggested.

They suspect that traffic will improve on the freeway, perhaps cutting as much as seven or eight minutes off the driving time. Less certain is what will happen to nearby on-ramps and neighboring streets when the change is made.

Will traffic suddenly get worse on crowded Punahou Street? Will drivers suddenly change their habits and crowd Prospect and Wilder streets as they seek alternatives to the freeway? Will there be howls of protests from longtime Lunalilo on-ramp users who suddenly have to spend a few minutes — or more — to find a new freeway access?

"We're going to look at all those things," Haraga said. Only after that will engineers decide whether to close the on-ramp permanently.

Beyond Lunalilo, other changes on the freeway are in the works.

• The state plans later this summer to start a new freeway service patrol. This free service will station tow trucks and other assistance vehicles along H-1, H-2 and H-3 freeways to provide quick help when there's an accident, breakdown or other emergency.

The idea is to get broken-down cars off the highway as soon as possible. The service trucks would get the stalled car moving again, or tow it to the nearest exit, getting traffic moving again quickly.

• Haraga said the state will take a new look at ramp-metering. That's the system that puts a small traffic light at some freeway on-ramps, letting one car move forward every three or four seconds.

Ramp-metering, which has been used successfully in many other areas, allows cars to merge onto the freeway more easily and prevents the situation many of us have seen when a car zooms up the on-ramp, only to stop and wait for a break in traffic, backing up dozens of cars behind.

• Restriping parts of H-1 Freeway in urban Honolulu to create one more lane of traffic. Last year, a University of Hawai'i study concluded that with a few simple changes a new lane of traffic could be created on the eastbound freeway from Middle Street to Pali Highway, one of the most notoriously congested stretches of road in the state.

None of the changes will have the same effect as building a new highway or a rail line, but they all have the potential to help keep traffic moving in small ways.

"We can't wait years for rail or some other big fix," Haraga said. "We have to do something right now to get our freeways moving."

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