Motorists were gridlocked for miles yesterday after police shut down H-1 Freeway west-bound midday to investigate the death of a toddler.

For about three hours motorists traveling west-bound were forced to take city streets as police swarmed H-1 just below the Miller Street pedestrian overpass.

Shortly after noon, traffic was at a virtual standstill, with cars backed up past Kaimuki.

Meilien Pinion and her husband were trying to get to their Prospect Street home from the Honolulu Club on Ward Avenue. After circling through several back streets for about 40 minutes, Pinion decided to get out of the car while her husband continued to drive home.

"I just told him I might as well walk home. It's quicker," Pinion said.

By about 3 p.m., police had reopened all but one lane. The right lane between the Vineyard Boulevard on-ramp and the Pali Highway off-ramp remained closed for an additional hour and 20 minutes as police continued to clean up after their investigation.

Even after all lanes were opened at 4:20 p.m., traffic along city streets remained at a crawl, as motorists slowly trickled back onto the freeway.

"Anytime you close down the freeway, it gets backed up significantly," said Scott Ishikawa, spokesman for the state Department of Transportation. "Police needed to shut down the freeway in order to conduct their investigation."

Ishikawa said DOT had posted messages on its electronic signs to alert motorists of the delay.

Transportation officials also had alerted East O'ahu schools, including the University of Hawai'i-Manoa, about traffic delays, Ishikawa said.

Byron Najita was sitting in traffic along Magellan Avenue, just blocks from the Miller Street pedestrian overpass, where the incident occurred.

He said it took him about an hour to get through Makiki.

"I'm supposed to be picking up a friend in Kalihi," Najita said, frustrated behind the wheel.

Similarly, Lorenzo Hernandez estimated that it took him about 30 to 45 minutes to inch from Ward Avenue to Prospect. He was heading home to Kalihi from work.

"They need to say what's going on," Hernandez said.

Bob Peters, head of Hanahau'oli School on Makiki Street, said many parents were running late to pick up their children from school.

"Some parents were sending other people to pick up their children," Peters said. "It was a little crazy."

Reach Loren Moreno at lmoreno@honoluluadvertiser.com.