Summary of Transportation Update Meeting on 03/13/17

  
Speakers at the 03/13/17 Transportation Update meeting hosted by the Ahupua`a O Nanakuli Homestead (AONH) included, L-R: Sen. Shimabukuro, DOT Deputy Director-Highways Edwin Sniffen, DHHL Deputy Director William Aila Jr., Rep. Gates, Jewelynn Kirkland (AONH), and Rep. Tupola.

Aloha! Here is a summary of the Transportation Update Meeting on 03/13/17.

In regards to the 2nd Access, DOT will study it, and DHHL will also work on it. One thought is to turn the existing Waianae Coast Emergency Access Road (WCEAR) into a more accessible road. The city is considering expanding the use of WCEAR beyond emergencies, to include other events, such as road work.   

In terms of the WCEAR, DHHL plans to work on an EIS to extend it from Helelua St. to Nanakuli Ave. They are drawing up plans and talking to homeowners. DOT plans to provide solar powered flashing signs to direct drivers to the WCEAR, and alert drivers about traffic delays.

DOT is also focusing on improving Farrington Highway congestion. They will try to find ways to continue the contraflow after its December 2017 projected end date, by making use of the 1.2 mile turn lane they are now constructing for contraflow. Further, DOT will continue to push to extend the turn/contraflow lane to Hakimo Road.  

Questions were raised about the need to synchronize the traffic lights. DOT responded that they are installing traffic cameras and heat sensors at Nanakuli Ave, Haleakala Ave, and Helelua St. These measures should help to improve traffic flow.

Questions were also raised about why DOT is expending funds on another traffic study rather than improvements. DOT explained that they must conduct an updated study to obtain federal funds. 

Contact me with your concerns at 586-7793. Have a Happy Easter!
 

HNN: Waianae Coast Emergency Access Road 3/13/17

Jobeth Devera, “Efforts underway to alleviate Leeward Coast’s traffic woes,” Hawaii News Now, 13 March 2017. For more on this topic, go to Maile’s Facebook page.

SA – Cataluna: ‘Ain’t no traffic like a commute to Waianae’

Excerpt from Lee Cataluna’s “Ain’t no traffic like a commute to Waianae” (Star-Advertiser, March 12, 2017). Read the full article.

Exit 5A going into Ewa is stopped down, bumper to bumper as I drive past. That’s another situation, that clogged main artery in and out of all those bedroom neighborhoods. On the freeway, things are still moving.

Around Kahe Point, it starts to change. The flow of the freeway ends and there are stoplights and side streets and pedestrians. The closer to Waianae, the more congested the road. Along the roadside are houses with outdoor furniture that isn’t there just to create a decorative tableau. People sit in those chairs and couches and survey the situation.

When I get to my destination in Waianae, I’m an hour early because I had anticipated the worst. I am asked, “How was your drive?” I say that I started from town at 3:15 to make sure I got to Waianae by 6 o’clock. I see the distinct look of “Girl, you don’t even know” pass across some of the faces.

One lady tells me that when she goes to Vegas, they leave their house in Waianae at 5 in the morning to be sure they make it to the airport in time for a 2 p.m. flight. Once they get into town, they kill time in a restaurant until it’s time to check in. She doesn’t want to chance getting stuck in some horrific snarl that will make her miss her flight and then have to eat the cost of the ticket.

Another tells me that traveling the 2-mile corridor of Farrington Highway in Waianae can take two hours because of an accident. Someone else says often there is no accident or stall to blame. It’s just bad.

Rep. Andria Tupola tells the story of a Saturday morning traffic stall last year caused by unannounced roadside brush clearing. The traffic was stuck for three hours. “People missed their flights, their appointments, and one guy missed his own wedding!” she said. Tupola started a Facebook group, Westside Traffic Alert, where people can update their fellow travelers in real time. There are no traffic cameras in the area, so residents have to rely on each other for traffic reports.

None of this would be alleviated by rail. If traffic is stopped down on Farrington Highway in Waianae, none of those people can even get to the train.

There are plans in play to alleviate the problems. A comprehensive approach requires cooperation from the Army, Navy, state agencies and city departments. A community meeting is being held Monday night to update residents on the efforts. In attendance will be Sen. Maile Shimabukuro (D, Kalaeloa- Waianae-Makaha), Rep. Cedric Gates (D, Waianae-Makaha-Makua), Councilmember Kymberly Pine and Tupola (R, Kalaeloa-Ko Olina-Maili).

There’s terrible traffic all over Oahu, but in other places, there are options. Folks on the North Shore have a bypass road and can head around to the Windward side. There are two ways into Waimanalo and three ways over the Pali. But the Leeward Coast is isolated. Tupola calls it “the largest cul-de-sac on the island.”

Of course, this is not news to residents of the Leeward Coast. They live this every day and marvel at how their situation feels so unimaginable to people who live on the same island. It’s news to those of us who think WE have it bad, but we don’t even know.

Read the full article on the Star-Advertiser site.

KHON2: Sen. Shimabukuro ‘petitions for change in safety check requirements’ 3/3/17

By Alexander Zannes KHON2, March 3, 2017

Do safety checks help keep our roads safe? A state senator worries that many drivers can’t afford to keep their older cars on the road if it means having to pass a safety inspection.

That’s why State Senator Maile Shimabukuro started a petition to ask if the checks should be done away with or at least changed. Nearly 3,000 people have already signed it.

Drivers are currently required to get a safety check once a year for most vehicles and are meant to make sure vehicles on our roads are safe to drive.

Shimabukuro tells us 34 states have already dropped safety check requirements.

We wanted to know what kinds of issues are most often found in safety checks and see if the state is open to making a change.

“We do fix a lot of cars,” said Frank Young of K & Y Auto Service, “especially when it comes to headlights, brake lights, taillights and tires.” Young showed us a tire that was worn nearly all the way through, just one of the 30 items he inspects on every car that comes in to get the sticker that puts them back on the road.

When asked what are some of the things he sees in safety checks that might otherwise go unnoticed, Young says “suspension, people have dim lights, they don’t know they don’t have brake lights, they have bad (wheel) alignment and it’s very worn on the inside, which is ready for an accident or death.”

The most common thing caught in vehicle inspections is a lack of registration, with over 160,000 people being caught in 2015. After that, it’s lack of insurance with just over 18,000 people, and then bad tires at 10,500.

So how does the transportation department feel about possibly doing away with safety checks? The response was that “defective cars can increase conflict points on the highway and jeopardize safety, as such, the department does not support removal of the … program.”

While Young says many of his customers support safety checks, the program could use some work. “It doesn’t have to be complex,” he said. “I’ve been doing safety checks for more than 40 years, and from the inception of this program until now, it’s gotten very difficult. That’s why a lot of people don’t want to be in the safety check business.”

As for State Senator Shimabukuro, who introduced the petition, she says she’s open to a compromise and respects the state’s position regarding safety checks. “I will explore whether any modifications to the process can be made to balance both safety and convenience, with the goal of creating an improved system,” she said.

Right now, a safety check costs $20. Click here to find out what the requirements are to pass a safety inspection.

Watch the video and read the full article on the KHON2 site.

HI DOT 2017 Lane Closures March 3-5

Lane closures for the weekend of Friday, March 3, to Sunday, March 5.

Run up Kolekole Pass, March 11, 2017

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Register at any Army Hawaii Physical Fitness Center or Health & Fitness Center page.

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