Local officials have hatched a plan that they hope will keep visitors happy and traffic headaches at a minimum during events starting later this week that commemorate the 75th anniversary of the Pearl Harbor attack.
On Dec. 7 a more than half-mile stretch of Kamehameha Highway heading town-bound from Honomanu Street to Salt Lake Boulevard will close from 4 a.m. to noon, as thousands of spectators and invited guests are expected to descend on Pearl Harbor during the morning commute for the anniversary date’s official ceremonies.
The estimated 3,000 to 5,000 commuters who travel that town-bound route will be diverted to Moanalua Road instead, according to transportation officials. TheBus as well as fire, ambulance and police vehicles will still have access to that eastbound stretch of Kamehameha Highway, they added.
The highway’s westbound side will stay open as normal, according to Honolulu Police Department Assistant Chief Clayton Kau.
Meanwhile, organizers say they’ll provide some 2,800 chairs at the Pearl Harbor Visitor Center, where a screen will show the official ceremony as it occurs nearby at Kilo Pier. If more than 2,800 spectators show up, there’s room for more people to stand, with room for as many as 5,000 total, according to retired Adm. Thomas Fargo, chairman of the 75th Commemoration of Pearl Harbor Committee.
Several websites, including the official Navy Facebook page and the Pearl Harbor 75th Anniversary site, will also stream the ceremony live online.
“We know parking is going to be really at a premium,” Kau said during a news conference Monday at the visitors center.
To help, Aloha Stadium will provide free parking at gates 2, 3 and 4 from 4 to 7:30 a.m., and a shuttle service will bring visitors to Pearl Harbor from there, officials said. Those who arrive there after 7:30 a.m. can park at gate 1 for a fee, they added.
Handbags, purses, backpacks, camera bags and other bags that “offer concealment,” as a news release described it, will not be allowed at the Dec. 7 events at Pearl Harbor, so visitors should leave those in their vehicles, officials said.
The anniversary will include Waikiki events open to the public, too. Films representing the Armed Forces’ five branches will be shown Friday, Sunday, Monday and Dec. 8 and 9 at Queen’s Beach in Waikiki. For those events, officials will close Kalakaua Avenue Koko Head-bound just past Kapahulu Avenue and divert traffic onto Monsarrat Avenue from 5 to 10 p.m.
The Monday showing of “From Here to Eternity,” which will also feature a musical performance by actor Gary Sinise, is expected to draw 10,000 people in a space that normally accommodates about 2,000, Kau said.
A parade Dec. 7 will also close Kalakaua Avenue from 5:30 to 8:30 p.m. where that road splits with Kuhio Avenue.
