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State transportation officials said the installation of four raised crosswalks to improve pedestrian safety on Farrington Highway in Waianae will begin tonight.
The raised crosswalks will be installed at the intersections of Ala Walua Street, the Waianae High School exit, Alawa Place, and Maiuu Road.
Work will take place nightly between 9 p.m. and 4 a.m. through Thursday, resulting in highway lane closures in each direction between Ala Walua Street and Maiuu Road. At least one lane in each direction, however, will remain open at all times.
The four raised crosswalks are expected to be completed by the end of Thursday night’s closure, weather permitting.
The raised crosswalks, acording to the Hawaii Department of Transportation, improve safety by improving the visibility of pedestrians using them, and providing drivers with a physical reminder to reduce vehicle speed. Raised crosswalks were previously installed on Kalihi Street fronting the King David Kalakaua Middle School.
The raised crosswalks on Farrington Highway are heavily used by the community, and do not have traffic signals. The speed limit along this stretch of the highway is 25 mph.
Earlier, HDOT also installed “pedestrian gateway systems” made up of fluorescent, yellow signs flanking both sides of the road, along with 36-inch-tall delineators between lanes, at Farrington Highway crosswalks. The systems were installed at Glenmonger, Bayview, Army, and Kaupuni streets, which also do not have traffic signals.
HDOT said it would continue studying the effectiveness of the raised crosswalks as well as gateway systems as safety measures.
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