City completes ADA street improvements ordered under 1997 federal consent decree

News Release from the City and County of Honolulu, Feb 15, 2019

Honolulu – Under a recent agreement between plaintiffs Jim McConnell and Mark Edwards and the City and County of Honolulu, the parties have agreed to close out the 1997 federal consent decree that addressed street and sidewalk accessibility under the Americans with Disabilities Act, or ADA, which was passed by the U.S. Congress in 1990.

Under the consent decree, Federal Magistrate Judge Kevin Chang was appointed to assume control of the matter, the late Paul Sheriff was appointed as the court monitor, and Bill Hecker was retained as the city’s consultant to provide advice as a recognized expert in ADA compliance and accessibility standards.

Under the consent decree the following projects and initiatives were completed by the City and County of Honolulu:

Adoption and implementation of a Self-Evaluation and Transition Plan pursuant to Title II of the ADA

Development and implementation of a comprehensive program and guidelines to address ongoing and future curb ramp installations

Identification of 6,342 intersections in need of ADA improvements, of which only 238 unconstructed curb ramps remain

“I want to thank the late Paul Sheriff and his family for his 16-year commitment to improving O‘ahu’s streets and sidewalks under the federal consent decree,” said Mayor Kirk Caldwell. “As we become a more sustainable and resilient community through the creation of protected bike lanes, bike sharing and the implementation of our Complete Streets program, the improvements that resulted from the federal oversight will have a positive and lasting impact on our current and future residents. I also want to thank Federal Magistrate Judge Kevin Chang for his judicious oversight and wish him well in his retirement.”  

—PAU—