On a given day, roughly 30,000 vehicles travel along Kahekili Highway and for drivers on the Windward side of Oahu it’s a common complaint that traffic on this stretch can cause quite a back-up.
"Yes I live here in Kahaluu and I see the traffic it takes an hour to get in and out after working time," says Windward Oahu resident Sonny Bradley.
The state transportation department came up with a plan in the 1990′s to ease the bottle neck by widening the highway from two lanes to four from Haiku Road to Kamehameha Highway. But that project never got off the ground. Now the state is bringing it to back to life.
"It’s showing we’ve hit the maximum capacity and we need to look at other ways to mitigate that traffic," says Jadine Urasaki, DOT Deputy Director.
The state is discussing it’s options with the community. Those who turned out for a meeting Wednesday night are renewing their stance made a decade ago- to keep the country, country.
"There’s some issues we have with traffic, but I think we can address it without changing the country character of our area," says David Henken, Windward Oahu resident and Chair of the Kahaluu Neighborhood Board.
"It’s a potential for bigger developments, to widen the road is the first step towards bigger developments," says Roli Ramos, Windward Oahu resident.
The proposed modifications to Kahekili Highway would also include a new interchange to ease traffic flow off and on Likelike Highway. The state is also looking at other alternative solutions.
Some in the community came together saying they want a contra-flow lane including pedestrian and bike pathways.
"It’s not that people want a wider highway it’s that they want solutions to the traffic," says Henken.
Those who drive this stretch everyday hope they don’t have to wait another 20 years before something is done.
"Time has changed it should happen now," says Bradley.
There’s another community meeting scheduled next week Tuesday November 8 from 5 p.m.to 9 p.m. at Windward Community College Hale Akoakoa Campus Center. The state DOT will provide a presentation on potential highway modifications.
See the original article at: KHON2 Local News
