QUESTION: Why was the Aiea offramp, town-bound, coned off on Pro Bowl Sunday? I wanted to take the offramp at about 12:30 p.m. but was forced to continue on the freeway. The next exit at Red Hill was so backed up, I had to go to the Tripler offramp, then turn around to head back toward Aiea. Traffic was a mess by the stadium, and a huge reason was because the Aiea offramp was coned. From Moanalua Freeway I took the Aiea cutoff, where the right lane leading to the stadium was at a standstill. There are three lanes going into Aiea; the left and middle lanes go to Kamehameha Highway, and the right lane goes to Moanalua Road. While the right lane was barely moving, numerous vehicles zoomed in the middle lane only to snake into the right lane at the last minute. They caused the middle lane to get jammed. All the while, about four special-duty police officers directed traffic, one directly by the vehicles trying to snake into the right lane. He should have ordered those motorists to continue to Kamehameha Highway. The traffic situation was horrendous and dangerous, and should have been handled better by the police officers.
ANSWER: The Honolulu Police Department made the decision to close both the H-1 freeway East Aiea offramp and the H-1 East Stadium offramp Sunday "in coordination with other agencies responsible for traffic and public safety," said HPD Capt. Gordon Gomes, of the Major Events Division.
The Aiea offramp was closed twice when cars waiting to enter the Aloha Stadium parking lot backed up on the H-1, causing traffic to back up to Pearl City, while the Halawa offramp was closed when traffic surrounding the stadium came to a standstill, he said.
Several traffic advisories were issued via the Nixle emergency alert system throughout this period to keep drivers informed of the offramp closures and reopenings as well as parking availability, Gomes said.
Closing the offramps is "rarely done and only when necessary," he said. At last year’s Pro Bowl, the Aiea offramp was closed, but not the Halawa offramp.
Some adjustments, such as "directed parking," where people are told where to park, were made this year to help deal with the traffic congestion.
At the "after-action meeting" to discuss the situation this year, possible additional actions, such as road signs to notify drivers of road closures, were brought up, Gomes said.
Regarding the special-duty officer not preventing drivers from cutting in line, he said it was unclear how close the officer was to the "split" in the roadway.
"If he was close enough, he should have prevented cars from cutting in at the last minute," he said.
To help deal with the situation, HPD is considering putting out traffic cones the next time.
"We understand drivers’ frustration, but there’s no easy solution to getting 47,000 people into the stadium," Gomes said. "In addition to vehicle traffic, there are thousands of pedestrians who walk over from satellite parking lots and surrounding communities."
SIGN UP FOR ALERTS
To receive Nixle alerts about emergencies or traffic situations, go to the city Department of Emergency Management’s website — www1.honolulu.gov/dem — and scroll toward the bottom to sign up for the service at nixle.com.
Email alerts are free; there may be charges for texts.
FREE TAX HELP
Beginning Saturday, AARP Foundation Tax-Aide will offer free help in preparing state and federal tax returns to low- and moderate-income taxpayers.
The annual service is aimed especially at those age 60 and older. They do not have to be AARP members.
Trained Tax-Aide volunteers in Hawaii last year helped more than 16,000 residents file returns, generating $5.8 million in total refunds and more than $1.1 million in Earned Income Tax Credits, according to AARP Foundation, a charitable affiliate of AARP.
For more information or to find a Tax-Aide site near you, go to www.aarp.org/findtaxhelp or call toll-free 888-227-7669.
———
Write to “Kokua Line” at Honolulu Star-Advertiser, 7 Waterfront Plaza, Suite 210, 500 Ala Moana Blvd., Honolulu 96813; call 529-4773; fax 529-4750; or email kokualine@staradvertiser.com.
