Busy Kakaako crosswalk to be restored, repaired

For months residents have asked local officials to repaint a heavily used crosswalk in the Kakaako area, and on Saturday city and state officials revealed a plan to do just that.

The crosswalk used to be located at a busy section of Queen Street and leads to and from Kolowalu Park, but it’s currently painted over.

Now there are plans to repaint and improve the safety features of the crosswalk.

House Speaker Scott Saiki (D, Downtown-Kakaako- McCully), Sen. Sharon Moriwaki (D, Kakaako-McCully- Waikiki), Rep. Adrian Tam (D, Waikiki-Ala Moana- Kakaako), Jon Nouchi of the Department of Transportation Services and Craig Nakamoto of the Hawaii Community Development Authority gathered Saturday at Kolowalu Park to unveil the two-phase project.

“This intersection here is one of the most dangerous in Kakaako, and it has become more dangerous since the crosswalk was removed a few years ago,” Saiki said, saying that there have been more collisions and close calls in the area.

Saiki said that $1 million has been secured to restore the crosswalk, remove the left turn lane onto Waimanu Street to make room for a pedestrian refuge island in the middle of Queen Street, and eventually install a beacon lighting system. The project is included in the latest version of House Bill 1600, which determines the state budget.

Many people, including those with children, continue to use the removed crosswalk to get to and from the popular Kolowalu Park and the Ward Village shops.

Karen Cheung, 35, takes her kids there every day and said she’s almost been hit crossing the street. Jeanne Rice, 72, said she walks her golden retriever in the area daily and that the crosswalk is still used often despite being painted over.

The crosswalk initially was removed to improve pedestrian safety, according to a letter Cheung provided to the Honolulu Star-Advertiser from DTS Director Roger Morton. The letter was sent to one of Cheung’s acquaintances who had asked about the removed crosswalk.

“We are not confident that a marked crosswalk indicating a desired place for pedestrians to cross should be placed on a high volume, multiple lane road such as Queen Street,” the letter said.

After at least six months of independently reaching out to various city and state entities about restoring the crosswalk, Cheung and Rice met each other and talked to dozens of other residents who also said they had called and emailed local officials to complain about the crosswalk to no avail.

“I was so angry because I emailed everyone in government, and no one (got back) to me,” Cheung said.

After reaching out to Saiki, Moriwaki, Tam and the HCDA last week and organizing a rally at the park, they said they began receiving more favorable responses that led up to Saturday’s announcement by Saiki.

“We wrote a really compelling email, I guess, because we got really good results,” Rice said. “What we were trying to achieve, we got (on Saturday).”

Cheung is relieved that some responsibility has been taken to make the crosswalk safe, although she said it should not have taken so long.

The improvements to the crosswalk will take up to six months to complete.