Question: Our neighborhood received a flyer about Universal Pictures closing Kamehameha Highway by Heeia Small Boat Harbor for filming for four full days next week and the week after. Is this legal for them to do? For those of us who live between Heeia and Kahekili Highway, it will be a traffic nightmare, especially since they plan to close it during evening commute.
Answer: Yes. The company making the “Jurassic World” sequel (working title: “Ancient Futures”) has worked with state and city agencies for months and has the proper permits, as well as plans to mitigate traffic as best it can, said Georja Skinner, administrator of the Creative Industries Division within the state Department of Business, Economic Development and Tourism.
The city issued a traffic advisory Thursday after Universal Pictures, AF Productions LLC, had distributed letters like the one you received to businesses and residents directly affected by upcoming filming along Kaneohe Bay.
Here are the details, from Universal’s letter or the city’s news release:
Kamehameha Highway between Heeia Kea State Park and the old HECO station fronting Heeia Small Boat Harbor is scheduled to be closed from 8:30 a.m. to 8 p.m. June 21, 22, 28 and 29.
TheBus and emergency vehicles will be allowed to pass through; harbor-area bus stops will be moved temporarily outside the closure area. Other traffic will be detoured to Kahekili Highway, which will provide residents on the Kahaluu side of the harbor access to their homes.
No roadwork will be allowed on Kahekili Highway during the Kamehameha Highway closures. Honolulu Police Department officers will assist on both highways, and the city will adjust the timing of area traffic lights as necessary.
In addition, brief, intermittent closures of the same area during the same hours are scheduled for June 23 and 27.
In the letter, Universal apologized for any inconvenience, sought the community’s patience and said that closing the highway during filming at the harbor was necessary “for the safety and security of the public.”
Skinner emphasized that the blockbuster movie franchise boosts Hawaii’s economy. Filming for this latest installment (commonly referred to as “Jurassic World II” or “Jurassic Park 5”) powers about 700 film production jobs, with 66 percent filled locally, she said, plus many roles for extras. Economic benefits extend to Oahu small businesses that provide lumber for the sets, catering for the cast and crew, and other goods and services, she said.
The movie stars Chris Pratt, Bryce Dallas Howard and B.D. Wong, reprising their “Jurassic World” roles. The film is expected to be released next summer.
Q: I know they were trying to bring back the fireworks to Hawaii Kai, but did they raise enough money?
A: No, so there won’t be a fireworks show at Maunalua Bay Beach Park this Fourth of July, confirmed Gindi French, president of the East Oahu Chamber of Commerce.
The group, formerly known as the Hawaii Kai Chamber of Commerce, kicked off its “Bring Back Da Boom!” fundraising campaign more than a year ago, hoping to reignite an annual tradition that fizzled out in 2014.
The Maunalua Communities Foundation had coordinated Fourth of July festivities at the bay for six years, but struggled to raise money to pay for the fireworks each year and finally called it quits. The event was last held in 2013.
The chamber initially had high hopes of rekindling the event in 2017, but the community’s expressed enthusiasm for the fireworks was not matched by donations to pay for them, French said.
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