Kamehameha Highway Improvements Project Task Force Meeting
On the evening of Thursday, March 22nd, roughly fifteen representatives from the state, city and community organizations gathered to discuss the ongoing developments of the Kamehameha Highway Improvements Project. Hosted quarterly, this was the sixth task force meeting held by local area legislators in conjunction with the State Department of Transportations (DOT), the City Department of Transportation Services (DTS), and Parsons Brinckerhoff.
Mel Kaku declared Task Force Co-chair
First on the agenda was a presentation bt Michael Oshiro, representing Mel Kaku of DTS, on country projects improving Kamehameha Highway and Kaahumanu Street. Signal improvements on Kamehameha Highway are being made to curb the backlog of traffic to Moanalua Road, especially during morning and after work hours. Along Kaahumanu Street, project developments will gradually be made, thus eliminating traffic along the area from Gyotaku Restaurant to Times Supermarket. In order to support the State's efforts, Mel Kaku will serve as an additional co-chair of this task force to create more dialogs between the City and State, alongside DOT representative Brendan Morioka and State Representative K. Mark Takai.
Unveiling of Project Display Boards at Pearlridge Shopping Center
Upon finalizing project boards detailing improvements along Kamehameha Highway and Kaahumanu Street, the task force announced its unveiling on Saturday, March 24th at 10:30AM at Pearlridge Shopping Center Uptown, in front of Satellite City Hall.
(For those unable to view the boards on display, click here to view the boards in PDF format (3.8MB))
Department of Transportation Repaving Project
Due to constant weathering, roads spanning across the islands are known to be prone to potholes that can often damage car tires and alignment and sometimes pose as safety hazards to motorists. The roads alongside Kamehameha Highway in the Sam's Club area have been weathered beyond the surface level, requiring a complete overhaul, hoped to be completed by the end of this year. To address this issue, DOT announced a road maintenance project to provide swifter response to patching up damaged roads. Budget requests were made to the Legislature to find ongoing maintenance projects, including the $30 million estimated to cover the costs of repavement and reconstruction of the foundational infrastructure underlying Kamehameha Highway.
Status of Navy funding for Pearl Harbor Historic Sites Gateway Improvements
The meeting proceeded with a discussion led by the representatives of the USS Memorial with an update of the Halawa Street Bridgework Status. An army main utility line was uncovered, bringing work on this project to a halt. Work is scheduled to restart by the end of March and be completeted at the end of 2007, just in time for a January 2008 re-opening date. Naval base freeway overlay signs are also being placed over Pearl Harbor signs to assist drivers who are traveling to Pearl Harbor Naval Base and Pearl Harbor Historic Sites. Scott Ishikawa of DOT delivered to Hawaii Congressional Delegation a request of $1.82 million for the project, enlisting the support of Senator Daniel Inouye and Senator Daniel Akaka in appropriating federal funds.
As part of the next course of action, the task force must figure out how to get Pearl Harbor Historic Trail as a part of the PHHS Gateway project. In order to do this, the task force is in the process of finding a representative to assist Robyn Blanpied and Navy Captain Skardon in trying to re-route the trail's path. Senator David Ige and Representative Lynn Finnegan have worked in the past with the Aiea Community Association to lead these efforts to gather support for re-routing the trail.
Douglas Lentz gave a brief update of the progress of the USS Arizona Memorial Visitor Center. Currently, efforts with PHHS are being made to establish a joint ticketing area. Groundbreaking for this project is anticipated to improve access to food, bag storage and shaded areas for visitors. Also, a task force was set up by the Navy to address the placement of the Marine monument. Lentz concluded by sharing a conceptual drawing of the PHHS Gateway.
Interim Median Fencing to Prevent Illegal Crossings
In response to the exceptionally high number of pedestrian fatalities since the start of the year, interim median fencing along the corridor was installed to prevent illegal street crossing. The area surrounding bus stops are being targeted as protective zones, with hopes that pedestrians will start to use crosswalks for their own safety. Although the task force is not part of the discussion involving mid-intersection crosswalks, it was given the opportunity to see designs of proposed solutions as part of the display boards on display at Pearlridge Shopping Center.
Area legislators responded to several constituents' concerns regarding highly congested and potentially dangerous traffic and pedestrian situations at the intersection of Kaonohi Street and Moanalua Road, particularly during times when the swap meet is open. Responding to these issues DTS Director Mel Kaku and HPD Chief Boisse Correa proposted a revision to the Kaonohi Street widening project as part of the Aiea-Pearl City Livable Communities plan.
A public meeting to discuss the DOT's plan to make traffic safety improvements along Kamehameha Highway from Center Drive to Waihona Street, as well as other ongoing and upcoming City and State projects in the community, is scheduled for Wednesday, April 25, 2007 at Waimalu Elementary School Cafeteria from 7:00-8:30PM.
For photos from this task force meeting, visit the DavidIge.org gallery under Session 2007. Scroll down to view the "Kam Hwy Task Force Meeting - 03.24.07" folder.