Timmy Aurio of Safety Systems Hawaii puts down some of the
traffic cones blocking access to a section of the H-1 Freeway.
Photo by Kathryn Bender, Star-Bulletin

Otherwise, what could have been a slow-and-go nightmare on the H-1 freeway turned out to be more like a traffic technician's dream.

As the state shut down a sizable chunk of the H-1 last night and workers set about paving the westbound lanes, gridlock on Honolulu's streets never materialized.

The stretch of Ewa-bound lanes between the Vineyard offramp and Likelike Highway will be closed from 8 p.m. to 5 a.m. through Thursday.

"We're kind of pleased," said Transportation Director Kazu Hayashida. "But we weren't really surprised. All the streets seem to be flowing well."

Highway chief Hugh Ono said the utility company's job would be put on hold until the H-1 paving is completed early Friday morning.

Ono, Hayashida and Department of Transportation spokeswoman Marilyn Kali all praised coordination of Honolulu police and those monitoring key intersections on video screens at the city Traffic Control Center.

"The control center put on (longer) green lights on westbound surface streets" and kept traffic moving along, said Hayashida.

They also credited motorists for heeding advance publicity and staying off the road last night.

But some couldn't.

"This is messed up," said Heather Delacuesta, waiting for the light about 8:30 p.m. at Punchbowl Street and Vineyard Boulevard, where the Ewa-bound H-1 onramp was closed. "It's a real inconvenience. We came from Waikiki and we're going to Pearlridge. And we have to be there by 9."

Daryl Nakai, who was headed for Salt Lake, put it more bluntly.

"It sucks," he said.

But many motorists took the situation in stride.

"We're going to be at ballet rehearsal every night this week," said Louise Funesake. "Every night we have to take a different route. But it needs to be done."

Donna Murakami agreed.

"Actually, night is better than day," said Murakami, a registered nurse at Queen's Hospital. "There's less traffic. It can't be helped."

Honolulu Traffic Management Center workers watch closely as the highway workers begin closing down H-1 for resurfacing.
Photo by Kathryn Bender, Star-Bulletin

"It's almost like people geared up for this," he said. "It's almost like a holiday."

Another officer said traffic was bound to be light for the highly publicized experiment.

"If you don't know what's going on by now, you've got to be deaf, dumb and blind," he said.

Mayor Jeremy Harris yesterday predicted there would be "traffic tie-ups of enormous proportion" that would create a "logistical nightmare."

The city Department of Transportation Services and the Police Department recommended against the closure, Harris said.

Hayashida said closure of the Ewa-bound lanes will help speed up the freeway paving process as long as rain doesn't slow the project. Since the department began the resurfacing project in February, it has received hundreds of complaints for closing two of the freeway's three lanes on weeknights.

Meanwhile, Ewa-bound traffic should exit the freeway by the Vineyard off-ramp. All nine Ewa-bound on-ramps from Kaimuki's 5th Avenue to Vineyard Boulevard in Kapalama will be closed during those hours.

The city has altered the timing of traffic lights on surface roads to accommodate the added traffic. More police were also to be out patrolling strategic roadways.

Don Hamada, assistant chief of the Department of Transportation Services, advised motorists to use Nimitz, Dillingham, North King and School streets.