By Ken Sakamoto, Star-Bulletin

Cones block left turns onto Puuhale Road by drivers
traveling westbound on Nimitz Highway. The state says
it is doing that to improve traffic flow in the opposite
direction during weekday morning rush hours.

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Turn ban hinders
Kalihi Kai access

The traffic modification helps commuters
but cuts off the business route

By Mary Adamski
Star-Bulletin

The well-publicized freeway ZipLane is not the only commuting enhancement started recently by the state Transportation Department.

Eastbound morning commuters are zipping along on Nimitz Highway thanks to a traffic signal change that gives them an added 30 seconds through the Mokauea Street and Puuhale Road intersections.

The downside is, the state closed the westbound left-turn lanes to the two streets, which the Kalihi Business Association says blocks off 50 percent of the access to Kalihi Kai businesses.

The turn ban is in effect from 5:30 a.m. to 8 a.m. weekdays.

"We're an industrial neighborhood. Shutting our streets down in the morning is like shutting a restaurant entrance at lunch hour," said Cindy Rasmussen, vice president of the association that represents 200 businesses.

Rasmussen said her family's Worldwide Store Fixtures Inc. at 1915 Homerule St. has experienced a drop in sales since the change went into effect Aug. 3. Its customers are contractors who pick up flat-wall sheeting, shelving and brackets to install in retail stores and construction projects.

"We would get more steady business in the first two hours of the day than any other time," she said. "Our customers need to pick up supplies in time to get to their job sites on time. We don't see them coming back. There are other people who supply the same things, and they aren't in Kalihi Kai."

Gov. Ben Cayetano and Transportation Director Kazu Hayashida got an earful of complaints when they spoke at an Aug. 12 association meeting, said Ronald Jones, chairman of the organization's legislative action committee.

"Our biggest complaint is that they did not ask our opinion," Jones said. "Given the large number of members of KBA, we think we should get some input."

Hayashida apologized to the group and eased the ban, which originally extended to 9 a.m.

"We're not terribly happy with it," said Jones. "People have to invent a new way to access Kalihi Kai. Earlier is better for us. In order to do pickup and delivery efficiently, we have to get away from school traffic and government workers traffic."

Transportation spokeswoman Marilyn Kali said: "We're not out to ruin anybody's business. We're just trying to find out how to improve commuter times. We've gotten many calls from people saying how fast it is, that it's really helping."

Kali said lots of downtown-bound drivers get off the freeway at the Keehi offramp and travel on Nimitz Highway.

"Traffic engineers noticed that once traffic gets past Kalihi Street, it is free-flowing," she said. "If we can give more green time, traffic flows faster.

"People can still either turn left a block sooner, at Kalihi Street, or later, at Sand Island." Or they could get onto Mokauea Street and Puuhale Road from Dillingham Boulevard, Kali said.

Said Rasmussen: "We didn't say we wanted to change the state's mind. We just asked that if they are going to do something that affects us, could they consult us.

"We would be happy to participate and figure out a solution. We appreciated that Kazu Hayashida apologized."