This Ala Moana detour through a checkpoint past Atkinson near the Hawaii Prince Hotel was part of the National Special Security Event or NSSE restrictions that were to have been lifted as of midnight Saturday night. Officials confirm the NSSE is wrapped up but this checkpoint is staying in place for dignitary protection purposes.
Just when they thought "Carmageddon" was behind them, drivers who had already spent hours in the H-1 tie-ups hit another unexpected snag.
"I thought it was all coming down last night. I though everybody would be pretty much packed up and taken off, but there’s still quite a bit here," said Honolulu resident Forest Welton.
People who had to drive near hawaii prince where the japan delegation is staying, the modern which is hosting russia, ilikai and the lagoon side of hilton hawaiian village found at least another hour tacked on their commute.
"I was stuck in traffic on Beretania for an hour, and then I got out of Beretania and came down here and now i’m stuck down here," said Sri Shim, who owns a business in the Hale Koa. "I mean it’s pretty bad but you know, that’s how it goes."
For some it was the first time coming back to work the whole APEC week after stores and restaurants opted to either close or cut back on payroll and staffing due to a drastic slowdown in business during APEC.
"It’s my first time in. They told me it was going to be about two hours. The business over there apparently in the whole area has been down about 70 percent. I didn’t even come in, they told me not to come in yesterday because business was so slow," said Eric Kramer, who works at Red Lobster in Waikiki.
As other parts of the security zone began to be taken down including the re-opening of the beach, many visitors ventured out for the first time.
"You can’t get out so you don’t spend any money," said Vicky Johnson, who is visiting from Buffalo. "It’s really been terrible. As a tourist we paid an awful lot of money to stay here, we can’t use the beach, we’re fenced in, I said to my husband today I feel like I was let loose to be able to go to the restaurant here from jail."
The city does advise for commuters to plan ahead for Monday morning and leave as early as possible as rolling road closures are anticipated sometime between 8 a.m. and 10 a.m. when certain dignitaries travel from Waikiki to the airport area. The FAA says commercial flights won’t likely experience any significant or reportable departure delays as VIP flights depart — nothing more than 15 minutes or so in most cases.
As for the impact of this continued checkpoint and Ala Moana detour – the city said Sunday afternoon they are having to continue the bus reroutes until that checkpoint comes down. Police say it will stay up until the dignitaries in the area hotels depart and there are no set times for that.
See the original article at: KHON2 Local News
