State officials say the widening of Farrington Highway in Nanakuli will provide some relief to residents constantly stuck in traffic, some of whom leave at 4 to 5 a.m. to commute to work in town.

The $10.1 million project will widen the four-lane highway between Nanakuli and Haleakala avenues to include a 10-foot-wide auxiliary lane for vehicles turning left.

Plans also include a new 8-foot-wide pedestrian and bicycle pathway, as well as the relocation of utilities and upgrades to traffic signals, street lighting and drainage systems.

Work is slated for completion in May.

“It will help with the morning commute because a lot of people are turning left off Farrington to get to the high school,” said state Rep. Andria Tupola (R, Kalaeloa-Ko Olina-Maili).

State Sen. Maile Shimabukuro (D, Kalaeoa-Waianae-Makaha) has also pushed for the widening project, but said more needs to be done to continue mitigating traffic congestion.

“I think it would help a lot if you have lanes for the buses to pull over and people to turn,” Shimabukuro said.

A project to widen Farrington Highway from Hakimo Road to Kalaeloa Boulevard is included in the Oahu Regional Transportation Plan, a long-term vision that lists transportation projects that are eligible for federal funding, for 2021 to 2035.

For many years Waianae Coast residents have pushed for solutions to mitigate the traffic congestion that stretches for miles along Farrington Highway. They have advocated for a secondary route out of the area, as well as for more access to the Waianae Coast Emergency Access Route, a series of roads that reroutes traffic from Farrington Highway. The roads, which are locked and gated, are opened to the public only when an emergency is declared by city officials.

The emergency route was opened the weekend of July 25 due to a water main break and subsequent sewer line damage that closed a section of Farrington Highway.

City Department of Transportation Services Director Mike Formby said he has not heard of any plans for a secondary access route at this time.

“There’s always people in the community that bring up a need for a secondary access road,” Formby said. “It’s always something that you hear from time to time.”

City Councilwoman Kymberly Pine, who represents the district spanning Ewa Beach to Waianae, pointed out that it is not sustainable to have only one way in and out of the Waianae Coast. She added that traffic cameras on the Waianae Coast would help officials to respond faster to accidents and other traffic situations.

“It’s a very tough drive,” Pine said. “It’s (Farrington Highway) packed. It’s like that every time, every time.”