City and state officials are making efforts to extend traffic camera coverage past Kapolei as residents call for solutions to the traffic backlog on Farrington Highway in Waianae.
But there is no set timeline to get all of the Waianae Coast covered by cameras.
The state Department of Transportation plans to install two traffic cameras each at Nanakuli and Haleakala avenues on Farrington Highway within the next six months, said Ed Sniffen, the department’s deputy director for the Highways Division. The cameras, one in each direction, will be installed to coincide with a project to add an additional turn lane and to adjust the traffic lights in the area.
Once the cameras are working, residents will be able to view road conditions on the GoAkamai application, which provides images from more than 200 cameras islandwide. But Sniffen said DOT would need funding to install more cameras on the Waianae Coast.
Sniffen said there are no further plans to add traffic cameras beyond those sought for Nanakuli and Haleakala avenues: “We want to get this project done and running.”
Farrington Highway has been the focus of much contention among community members, some of whom say they leave at 4 to 5 a.m. to commute to town for work because of heavy traffic. Numerous accidents and other incidents — including a loose cow and a water main break and sewer line damage that prompted the closure of lanes on the highway — have caused traffic nightmares for Leeward Coast drivers.
“Traffic woes are every day, all day,” said state Rep. Andria Tupola (R, Kalaeloa-Ko Olina-Maili). “The people in Waianae need relief somehow.”
She added that the cameras would help to “improve the quality of life for people on the west side who constantly drive through traffic.”
The city was able to work out an agreement with Oceanic Time Warner Cable where the company will provide the fiber-optic connection needed for traffic cameras in Waianae, said Mike Formby, director of the city Department of Transportation Services.
He added that the cameras would allow officials to view road conditions in real time and make adjustments when accidents or other incidents occur. He said he hopes the cameras will be installed and working by the first quarter of next year.
“The conditions (on Farrington Highway) have gotten considerably worse within the last year. We’ve heard more complaints from the commuting community,” Formby said. “It (the installation of traffic cameras) benefits everybody.”
City Councilwoman Kymberly Pine, whose district spans Ewa Beach to Waianae, said traffic cameras would be part of the solution to the “traffic crisis” on Farrington Highway. She said she hopes the cameras will be up and working next year.
“It’s not a small thing,” Pine said. “These cameras will greatly improve the quality of life of Waianae residents because they will be better able to plan their day and ride out of Waianae and into Waianae. It also leads to faster response times from traffic management.”
Ken Koike, a member of the Waianae Coast Neighborhood Board, said the community welcomes any solutions to help relieve congestion, including traffic cameras and traffic light synchronization.
“When it comes to those traffic cameras, that’s entirely a service to the public,” Koike said. “We appreciate greatly that our city (and) county and state officials are trying their best to accommodate our situation. Unfortunately, it isn’t enough. We are grasping at straws right now.”
