KAHALU'U — A state traffic mitigation project in the Temple Valley area is creating more problems than it is solving, residents say, with vehicles stacking up worse than ever and the backups starting earlier in the afternoon.

But officials say the problem involving traffic signals at the intersections at Kahekili Highway and the two Hui Iwa crossroads will be resolved within a matter of weeks when the work is completed.

Right now the project is at an awkward stage with the new traffic lights operating without sensor controls that tell the signals that there's no traffic so they can change the lights, said Brennon Morioka, director for the state Department of Transportation.

"Things will be a lot better once the sensors are in, but it's one of those things where we're caught in between one stage and another," he said.

These days, traffic on the Kahekili often backs up all the way to Ha'iku Road in Kaneohe as early as 3 p.m.

To make matters worse, the contractor damaged the controls on Oct. 15 when installing a piece of equipment, causing gridlock, Morioka said. A city crew manually adjusted the system that evening and returned the next morning to make more adjustments, he said.

The state is adding extra lanes at the intersections with the idea of moving traffic through them faster.

The $4.1 million project calls for creating a 360-foot deceleration lane in the Kahuku-bound direction for cars turning right at East Hui Iwa Street, lengthening an existing left-turn lane into East Hui Iwa to 470 feet, and building a 380-foot acceleration lane from the Ahuimanu subdivision for traffic merging onto Kahekili.

Art Machado, a Kahaluu Neighborhood Board member, said people are complaining and some — including him — believe that even when completed the project won't ease congestion.

Machado would have preferred widening the highway from Ha'iku Road to the Hygienic Store, a plan many in the community opposed.

"It's so bad because they're keeping that a single lane," he said.

Ken LaVasseur, also a Kahaluu Neighborhood Board member, said the situation as it is now is dangerous and things can be done to make it safer until the project is finished. Some of the direction signs and traffic signals should be covered, LaVasseur said.

"It's a tough call," he said. "You don't want to jump on the contractor too much because they've done everything to implement this (project) post haste. The safety issue will be resolved within a week."

That's when the sensor loops will be installed and the road will be stripped, providing the weather holds, said Morioka. After that, the lights should respond to traffic flow, he said, adding that the department will continue to make adjustments after the project is completed in about four weeks.

"We ask for the public's patience because we know that it's impacting them," Morioka said. "We know that they're getting a little frustrated ... but it's a part of progress. We're going to be making those fixes very soon and hopefully the end product is going to be something that is going to be better for them."