Irate drivers have been
ignoring traffic cones and
endangering workers

By Susan Kreifels
Star-Bulletin

Road improvements will cause serious traffic jams on the H-1 freeway again this weekend, and transportation officials are asking drivers to give themselves an extra hour and show a little aloha to road workers.

Irate drivers have been ignoring traffic cones and endangering workers.

"They've been getting harassed a whole lot," said Marilyn Kali, Department of Transportation spokeswoman. "People are throwing things at them and swearing at them. There's not a lot of aloha. This is a very dangerous place to be working."

Tonight at 8:30 starts the fifth of an expected seven weekends of lane closures for Ewa-bound lanes on H-1 between Aiea Heights and Kaonohi Overpass. Two middle lanes will be blocked until Monday at 2 p.m., forcing traffic to merge on both sides of the freeway.

Motorists should add 30 to 60 minutes of driving time to get through the area, where old concrete lanes are being dug out and replaced, Kali said.

She recommended that motorists stay on H-1, which will allow them to merge in the repair area onto two left lanes. Those driving Moanalua Freeway will only have one lane on the right for merging.

Kali expects traffic will be heavy on Kamehameha Highway and Moanalua Road as well.

Nineteen police officers will be on duty to help direct traffic at intersections, compared with 13 last weekend.

Two weekends ago motorists ignored traffic cones and aimed for workers, veering at the last minute into the traffic lanes, Kali said. A truck driver deliberately plowed through workers pouring concrete. Another motorist crashed into a concrete truck. Some evening traffic is speeding past workers.

"It's not the contractor's fault that people are stuck in traffic," Kali said. "I can't tell you how hard we're working to get this thing done fast.

No pain, no gain. The payoff is the road will be in much better condition with no potholes, and eventually it will provide additional capacity in rush hours."

Brad Davis, an Ewa-bound motorist last Saturday afternoon, said he gave himself an extra hour to get to his Pearlridge destination on time. He commended the state for its planning and for giving the public plenty of notice.

"I got there on time and I knew what to do," Davis said. "The bottom line is we need to improve our roadways and infrastructure. It's just a necessary evil."

Motorists will see lane closures on weekends through March 23, but only one side lane at a time after this weekend. That should lighten traffic jams, Kali said. Work in the area will continue for another 18 months, and there may be some night closures but no further weekend ones.

The road work is part of five different projects in the area that include replacing old concrete lanes, building a new right lane to handle traffic merging from H-3, developing a "zipper lane" on the outbound-traffic side to provide an extra lane for inbound morning motorists, and providing an extra lane for car pools, buses and other vehicles with three or more passengers.

Kali said on the weekend closures, workers dig up old, damaged concrete lanes on Friday night and on Saturday pour concrete, which must cure before drivers use it. Workers do one lane at a time, working their way across the freeway.

Officials chose weekend closures so evening rush-hour traffic wouldn't be jammed during regular workdays, Kali said.

Kali warned that this won't be the last of freeway improvements. "The freeways are 30 years old, and we will see lots more repairs. If you want nice roads to drive, you have to respect the work that has to be done."