Question: My question is about the current situation on the Pali Highway. Since the Pali is now either completely closed while engineers work to stabilize the hillside where the landslides occurred, or closed at certain hours on one whole side — and that will be the case for months — is there any way that state transportation officials can arrange to drastically speed up the work that is ongoing to repave and change the lighting, etc. on the Pali? It seems like the perfect opportunity do to that, if possible. The Pali Highway is drastically in need of repaving so I hope that a redoubling of efforts to get that work done (during the day as well as at night) might be a silver lining to the situation that requires the Pali to be closed down, fully or partially, for many months to come.
Answer: The state Department of Transportation does plan to fast-track repaving of the Honolulu-bound lanes, and will update the project timeline at a community meeting, state senator Laura Thielen, D, Kailua-Waimanalo-Hawaii Kai, said on her Facebook page Saturday.
We followed up with DOT spokesman Tim Sakahara to confirm, and he replied by email Tuesday, “HDOT continues its work on the Pali Highway improvements project while the emergency landslide work is ongoing. We are committed to getting the work in the Honolulu-bound direction done while the route is closed.”
He pointed readers to palihighway.org/ for details about the roadwork project, which includes replacing street lights from Vineyard Boulevard to Kamehameha Highway and resurfacing Pali Highway from Waokanaka Street to Kamehameha Highway. The project is being done in conjunction with the city’s Dowsett Highlands Sewer Relief project, which you can read about at palisewer.org/.
The community meeting, which has yet to be scheduled, would not focus solely on this roadwork project. It would also (perhaps primarily) share information and seek public feedback about the emergency slope stabilization work being done since landslides closed the highway on Feb. 18.
Q: Are the one-way open lanes on the Pali only on weekdays?
A: Yes, so far, but there’s an exception coming up this weekend. The Pali Highway in the Kailua-bound direction will be open from 7 p.m. on Saturday to 7 a.m. on Sunday while the H-3 Kaneohe-bound is closed, according to the state DOT.
Both lanes of the H-3 Freeway Kaneohe-bound between the Halawa Interchange and the Halekou Interchange will be closed during that time period so the Harano Tunnel can be cleaned. The H-3’s Halawa-bound lanes will remain open; the Likelike Highway also is an alternate route.
The limited contraflow access on the Pali following the Feb. 18 landslides has been to accommodate school and work traffic, Monday through Friday. Lanes are open Honolulu-bound from 5 a.m. to 9 a.m., and Windward-bound from 3 p.m. to 7 p.m.
The DOT expects to issue an update soon with proposed slope stabilization designs and a revised access schedule for the Kailua/Kaneohe bound lanes, according to its website.
Auwe
Auwe, to all the school-age children from elementary school to college students, and young adults, who ride the bus and sit on the front seats normally reserved for seniors, people with disabilities, and pregnant women.
Most times the back of the bus is empty when I see them occupying the front seats.
They look around and see all the empty seats but immediately park their buttocks and put their nose into their phones.
Parents should talk to their children who ride the bus. They show no respect for seniors, which their parents will eventually become. — Bruce
Write to “Kokua Line” at Honolulu Star-Advertiser, 7 Waterfront Plaza, Suite 210, 500 Ala Moana Blvd., Honolulu 96813; call 529-4773; fax 529-4750; or email kokualine@staradvertiser.com.
