“Westside Welcomes Fifth Lane”
News Release from Office of Rep Andria Tupola (R-Nanakuli)
HONOLULU, HAWAIʻI (January 11, 2018) – Today marks the official opening of the Nanakuli Contraflow Lane. The addition of the fifth lane along the Wai’anae Coast has been long overdue, and westsiders are excited about the traffic relief that it offers.
“This project started in December 2014 and we are very excited to see the lanes open to ease the traffic congestion,” said House Minority Leader, Representative Andria Tupola. At the height of frustration during the delays in this project, DOT was able to allocate funds to open up the first contraflow lane in Wai’anae which has helped to bring people home quicker through the afternoon bottleneck on Farrington Highway and Nanakuli Avenue.
The DOT announced that there will be no contraflow January 11th, 12th and 15th to make the final improvements on Farrington to complete the turn lane project. The contraflow will resume on Tuesday January 16th which will allow two lanes town bound and three lanes west bound from 3:30-7:00 pm.
“Traffic affects everyone’s quality of life and the amount of time we spend away from our family. I’ve increased the communication between the community by establishing a shared facebook group, held multiple town halls with companies that block roads, actively worked with DOT to communicate problems with the project, and I’m so grateful to see some of the fruits of our efforts alleviate the burden on westside families.” said Representative Tupola. “I’m grateful to Ed Sniffen at DOT Highways for all his work and actively responding to hundreds of calls and emails from our community members. I look forward to future traffic relief solutions for the west side.”
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Farrington Highway Intersection Improvements, Haleakala Avenue and Nanakuli Avenue (Turning Lane)
News Release from HDOT, Jan 18, 2018 (excerpt)
HDOT opened the turning lane on Farrington Highway at Haleakala Avenue and Nanakuli Avenue to traffic on Jan. 11, 2018, and completed the coordinated adjustments of the traffic signals in time for the official opening of the turning lane on Jan. 16, 2018.
The goal of the Farrington Highway Intersection Improvements, Haleakala Avenue and Nanakuli Avenue project was to improve the only corridor through Nanakuli by:
- Adding center left turn lanes at Farrington Highway’s intersections with Haleakala Avenue and Nanakuli Avenue;
- Improving roadway drainage;
- Upgrading street lighting and traffic signal systems;
- Relocating existing overhead and underground utilities;
- Constructing an 8-ft wide shared use path for pedestrians and cyclists;
- Realigning the historic Oahu Railway & Land railroad tracks;
- Constructing retaining walls to support the restored railroad tracks and prevent erosion onto the new path; and,
- Providing a separated walkway fronting the park, school, and learning center.
Finish work remaining on the project, includes work on the sidewalk and final pavement striping. Details on the lane closures for the final pavement striping will be posted on our website at http://hidot.hawaii.gov/highways/roadwork/oahu/ as they are scheduled and electronic message boards will be placed in advance of the project site to alert the community of the lane closures as well.
The crosswalk fronting Ka Waihona O Ka Naauao Public Charter School and the bus stops across from Haleakala Avenue and Nanakuli Avenue are opened.
HDOT reminds motorists driving this redesigned roadway to observe the posted speed limit and signage for their safety and the safety of the Nanakuli community.
Nanakuli Contraflow
The Nanakuli Contraflow, initially put in place to mitigate the effects of the construction for the turning lanes project, is set to operate until Summer 2018 with options to continue if funding is available.
The initial setup of the contraflow post opening of the turning lane was to have three westbound lanes (with one lane in the turning lane) and two eastbound lanes throughout the length of the contraflow. In order to have the two continuous lanes going eastbound throughout the contraflow, it would need to be shortened to start just before the Nanakuli Stream bridge and end at Helelua Street where the turning lanes project widening ended.
Overall, this would minimize the effectiveness of the contraflow westbound. Therefore, it was decided to compromise between impacts. The contraflow on the east side is shortened to maintain the two eastbound lanes there, but the contraflow on the west side is extended to Nanaikeola Street to increase westbound capacity. This means that eastbound traffic is reduced to one lane for a short distance, then allowed to go to two lanes from Helelua Street to the end of the contraflow.
HDOT inspectors, the contraflow contractor, and special duty police officers working the contraflow will continue to collect data to see how we can improve the contraflow now that the turning lane has been opened.
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