Posted on: Wednesday, July 6, 2005
Tunnel closure doesn't slow Windward traffic
| • | Working on the Wilson |
| • | Chart (opens in a new window): Wilson Tunnel renovations |
By Mike Leidemann
Advertiser Transportation Writer
Traffic was flowing smoothly yesterday as the state began a 30-day shutdown of the Kane-'ohe-bound Wilson Tunnel, officials said.
Andrew Shimabuku • The Honolulu Advertiser "It's supposed to be a 15-mph construction zone, but some cars are coming through a lot faster than that," Transportation Department spokesman Scott Ishikawa said as he stood in front of the tunnel at the start of last night's rush hour.
To accommodate homeward-bound Windward motorists, state officials set up a two-lane contraflow through the opposite tunnel bore between 1 and 8 p.m. yesterday.
It seemed to be working.
Instead of a long backup feared by many at the site where drivers had to switch into the opposite lanes, traffic was light, and an off-duty police officer was urging drivers to slow down as they approached the tunnel.
DOT officials called for back-up workers to extend the coned lanes approaching the tunnel and to cover up the normal 35-mph speed limit signs in the area.
"I guess people got the message and are making their adjustments," Ishikawa said. "We'll continue to monitor the situation and make any more adjustments that are needed."
The closing of the tunnel is necessary to allow workers to rip out the 50-year-old concrete roadbed and replace it with a new one. Yesterday, huge slabs of the old floor were piled up on either end of the tunnel awaiting transport to a landfill.
Meanwhile, traffic disruption seemed minimal.
Few problems were reported during the morning rush hour and by early evening no serious backups had been reported on the Likelike Highway leading to the tunnel.
Traffic was a little heavier than normal on alternative trans-Ko'olau routes but with no noticeable delays.
Many drivers heard about the closings and changed their routes or starting times.
"Only a few people called to complain that they hadn't heard about the closing, but in general everyone seemed to have got the word," Ishikawa said.
Kane'ohe resident Renee Troche said she took the Pali Highway instead of her normal route through the tunnels to and from work in Honolulu yesterday and didn't have any problems.
"It's a pretty good start," she said.
The tunnel will be closed until Aug. 5. Then, the Honolulu-bound tunnel will be closed for 30 days starting Sept. 6.
The work is part of a $13.8 million project to improve traffic safety conditions inside the tunnels by improving drainage, lighting and the roadbed.
Reach Mike Leidemann at 525-5460 or mleidemann@honoluluadvertiser.com.
If anything, cars were moving faster than state officials had hoped.
Slabs of concrete from the roadbed of the Kane'ohe-bound Wilson Tunnel line Likelike Highway as workers prepare to lay a new floor. The tunnel's closure yesterday marked the beginning of a monthlong project to improve its safety conditions.
