'Aiea road revamping begins Monday
By Robbie Dingeman
Advertiser Staff Writer
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The city plans to begin construction next week on a series of changes to a major intersection near Pearlridge Center and the Kam Swap Meet that is designed to smooth traffic.
Michael Oshiro, of the city Department of Transportation Services, said construction begins Monday and is expected to be completed by Thanksgiving.
Oshiro said with the new design "almost twice as many cars can get through." He said nearby merchants and residents have praised the plan.
The project will cost $414,763, he said.
On a recent Saturday, Oshiro said officials tracked 13,729 vehicles passing through between 10 a.m. and 1 p.m., while weekday rush-hour morning traffic found nearly 4,700 cars passing through that intersection.
'Aiea resident Bill Clark said adding turning lanes, taking out parking spaces and building a median should solve some major traffic issues at the busy intersection.
Clark, who serves as 'Aiea Neighborhood Board chairman, said, "I think it's going to be better for the community and for those who use the roadways, and the safety of the pedestrians."
He said some complaints may come from people who live in nearby townhouses or condominiums who will lose about 30 parking spaces on the street, but most people should benefit.
"That is definitely going to help traffic, especially with the rush hours and the Saturday shopping," Clark said.
Pearlridge Center general manager Fred Paine welcomes the changes.
"We're all for it," Paine said. "It will hopefully get traffic through that intersection more smoothly. At rush hour, it's a real bottleneck."
Paine said people often park at the shopping center and then illegally walk or run across the street.
Mayor Mufi Hannemann said he's happy to announce the changes because he's been aware of problems there since he represented the area from 1995 to 2000.
The changes include:
Oshiro said the city also will modify the traffic lights and extend no-parking zones on Moanalua Road and Kaonohi Street, which will eliminate about 30 stalls.
He said the design consultant is Fukunaga & Associates Inc., and the contractor is Standard Electric.
City Councilman Gary Okino, who represents the area, said some drivers have a difficult time making it through the area in one light change. "It's probably one of the worst intersections in 'Aiea," he said.
The shopping center brings in traffic, commuters travel the area and then the swap meet on Wednesdays and weekends adds even more cars.
"I've been trying to find a solution for that intersection since I came into office," Okino said. After two years of traffic counts and design, he's happy to see construction about to begin.
Okino said drivers can expect some disruption during construction and may take a little time to get used to the changes, but he thinks it will be worthwhile.
He said adding a right-turn lane a few months ago helped remove a major source of frustration for some drivers who would get angry at drivers going straight who would hold up those who could turn right on red.
"It was a real source of contention there," he said.
Okino and Hannemann hope that building a median will stop jaywalking and illegal left turns into the center and swap meet. Many have mentioned that they would like to see an end to the jaywalking across the street.
"People are always complaining about people running across the street. That's a wide street," Okino said.
Oshiro said the construction will be done during the day and avoid peak rush-hour traffic. The work will begin with adding the median, he said.
Reach Robbie Dingeman at rdingeman@honoluluadvertiser.com.
