Question: Regarding closing the Piikoi onramp eastbound (808ne.ws/piikoi), did they say how much slower the traffic will be on the side streets because of this? Hard to believe the impact will be “minimal.”
Answer: Yes. “Side street operations along King Street did see slightly increased congestion during the PM peak hour of traffic, with slightly increased travel times of approximately 1 minute from South Street to University Avenue. Operations along Kapiolani Boulevard experienced no change in traffic operations, travel time and volumes between the before and during closure conditions,” according to the study conducted for the state Department of Transportation, which you can read at 808ne.ws/rampstdy.
The “PM peak hour” is 4:15 to 5:15 p.m. weekdays, the report said.
As for eastbound traffic on the H-1 freeway, closing the Piikoi Street onramp saved drivers only one minute in the morning but six minutes in the afternoon, the study found. This is for the area between the Fort Shafter overpass and Punahou Street.
Based on the results, the DOT will close the onramp from 3 to 6:30 p.m. weekdays for a six-month trial, starting July 30.
As you noted, the DOT expects the change to have minimal impact on traffic on the surrounding side streets.
Q: We will be traveling during the primary election and are registered in Honolulu for mail-in voting. When will the ballots be mailed out?
A: July 20, according to the City Clerk’s Elections Division. Hawaii’s primary election is Aug. 11.
Q: I am registered for mail-in voting but wondered whether I can walk in for in-person, early voting instead. I’d like to take my son with me, for the educational experience of seeing the voting booths, volunteers, etc., aka “democracy in action.”
A: Yes. “Any registered voter may vote at any early walk-in voting location in their county,” said Nedielyn Bueno, a spokeswoman for the state Office of Elections. Early, walk-in voting for the primary begins July 30.
Data failure
The city has posted more information about the aftermath of the data-storage failure that affected about 44,000 people statewide. To read it, go to honolulu.gov/license and click on the tab that says, “MIDS Disk Crash FAQs.”
Affected individuals should receive a letter this week with details; the letters, which are dated July 12, appear on the letterhead of the county where the person applied for the driver’s license or state ID.
Affected individuals applied for a Hawaii driver’s license or state ID card between Feb. 25 and Sept. 15, 2017. Not everyone who applied for a license or ID between those dates is affected, however, because some personal data stored on the server that crashed has been retrieved in the meantime, after initially being unreadable.
Mahalo
A big mahalo to the gentleman who found my checks, slated for deposit at the Kaimuki Hawaii State Federal Credit Union, and turned them in to the cashier. In my haste and with arms loaded with items, I made a sudden detour/stop at the bank’s upfront cubicle to speak with a representative, and the checks must have unknowingly fallen out of my my hands. Later, when ready to make the deposit, I discovered that the checks were missing, and in a senior moment I was not sure whether I had had the checks with me or had dropped them in the parking area (where I rushed to look for them). Not finding them, I went back inside. Upon reporting the incident to the teller, I was informed that the checks were found on the floor and turned in by a gentleman! What a relief! — Grateful senior
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.
