KHON2: Contraflow Stymied by Illegal Left Turns 8/11/16

Clips from Alex Cerball’s “State Outlines Solutions, Tips to Ease Town-bound Gridlock During Nanakuli Contraflow,” KHON2, 8/11/16. Watch the full video and read the story on the KHON2 site.

Cerball: The state Department of Transportation says drivers were making illegal left turns on Helelua Street, Haleakala and Nanakuli avenues, which created a backup because they were trying to cross three lanes or use Kalanianaole Beach Park to make a turn. “Instead, go just one short block … town-bound, to Laumania, Pohakunui, Piliokahi, and do a circle to turn around instead of making left turn,” explained DOT spokesman Tim Sakahara. “Just make a circle, come back around, then make right on whichever street they want to go on.”

Cerball: State Sen. Maile Shimabukuro said her commute from Waianae to Nanakuli is typically 15 minutes in the evening, but on Wednesday, it took nearly an hour. “It was bad, you know, the traffic, it was very, very slow, very backed up leaving Waianae,” she said. However, she added, “Despite the difficulty of leaving Waianae yesterday, I really think overall its a good thing because for those coming home, on the westbound side, because that’s the bulk of traffic in the afternoon, people coming back to Waianae, for those people it really did help.”

Star-Adv 8/12/16: ‘Contra-flow Eases Commute for Some’

Excerpts from Jayna Omaye’s “Contra-flow eases commute for some,” Star-Advertiser, August 12, 2016:

The new contra-flow lane seeks to ease a traffic bottleneck in the corridor by repurposing one eastbound lane to allow for three Waianae-bound lanes and one town-bound lane during the weekday afternoon rush hour, from 4 to 7 p.m.

Residents traveling west Wednesday reported a shorter commute home, with some saying traffic flow resembled a weekend afternoon rather than rush hour. State Rep. Andria Tupola (R, Kalaeloa-Ko Olina-Maili) said many residents were pleasantly surprised that their westbound commute was cut in half. State Sen. Maile Shimabukuro (D, Kalaeloa-Waianae-Makaha) agreed, adding that one Waianae Coast resident said she was able to get home from town by 4:45 p.m. and spend more time with her family.

But the legislators and other residents agreed there were several problems, particularly with eastbound congestion, that require adjustments.