In an effort to address traffic congestion, the City Council is considering a moratorium on the construction of large development projects from Aiea to Kalihi.

Bill 11 proposes to provide the city with “sufficient time” to study and evaluate transportation improvements while prohibiting building and grading permits for projects around the Halawa Interchange to near Gulick Avenue in Kalihi. Exemptions would include maintenance and improvements to existing structures, rail construction, and developments that generate fewer than 200 vehicle trips per day.

Introduced by Council members Carol Fukunaga and Joey Manahan, the bill passed first reading last month and will be heard at Thursday’s 9 a.m. Council Zoning and Planning Committee meeting at Honolulu Hale.

“This bill is sort of a wake-up call for everyone,” Fukunaga said Friday. “The conditions that the residents have been experiencing in recent months have reached the point where they are experiencing almost gridlock-types of conditions during morning and afternoon rush hours. We’re not looking to halt development, but more to get everyone to work together in a much more expedited fashion.”

Additionally, the Council’s Transportation Committee will discuss, at its 1 p.m. Thursday meeting, a resolution requesting the state and city expedite the completion of a study of the H-1 freeway corridor and evaluate projects that mitigate traffic congestion in the Aiea, Red Hill, Moanalua and Salt Lake areas.

Fukunaga said several residents have expressed concern with how a plan by developer Douglas Emmett to add about 500 rental units at the existing Moanalua Hillside Apartments would affect the already congested corridor.

Larry Baird, chairman of the Aliamanu/Salt Lake/Foster Village Neighborhood Board, said in an interview last week that traffic congestion is an ongoing community concern, and expressed frustration with working with the city to address proactive traffic planning efforts. Baird, a longtime Foster Village resident, said he is also concerned with efforts to widen Salt Lake Boulevard.

“If you design the intersections to handle a higher volume of cars, it still will flow all right,” Baird said. “(But) if you just say the status quo and we’re not going to change that and we’re going to add 10,000 people to that, then you’re adding to the problem.”

Lori Lum, who spoke on behalf of Douglas Emmett, opposed the bill at the Council’s Feb. 17 meeting and said that the additional units at Moanalua Hillside would provide more affordable housing. She added that the company has worked on traffic studies prior to moving forward with development plans.

The Hawaii Construction Alliance submitted written testimony opposing the measure.

“As a stakeholder we want to be a good neighbor,” Lum said. “We want to be part of the solution to address the current traffic issues, and we believe delaying the implementation of our development plans, because we’re soon to break ground, will be not in the best interest of the residents of Moanalua and the objectives of the city and state (in providing affordable housing).”

To read more on Bill 11 and to see the moratorium’s proposed boundaries, visit 808ne.ws/1XZCpvW.