Whatever Happened To... An update on past news

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Impact study drives Kailua High road

Question: What ever happened to the state's plan to build an alternative access road to Kailua High School?

Got comments? Comments about the project can be e-mailed to small@pbworld.com or sent by mail to 1001 Bishop St., Suite 2400, Honolulu 96813.

Answer: A draft environmental assessment on the project was released last week by Parsons Brinckerhoff Quade & Douglas Inc. It reviewed six alternatives aimed at reducing peak-hour traffic and making the school area more pedestrian-friendly.

The state Department of Accounting and General Services hired the company, which will be seeking comments from interested citizens, organizations and agencies until Feb. 22 before preparing a final environmental report, said project manager Perry Small. The earliest the company could complete that final assessment would be mid-March. The state would then decide whether to proceed, Small said.

The proposed roadway would extend from Kalanianaole Highway, through the Women's Community Correctional Center toward Kailua High. Costs for planning and design have been estimated at $800,000, with construction costs of about $5 million.

Besides the new road, the study also studied proposals to:

» Connect the present Akiohala drop-off to a new parking lot on the east side of the campus.

» Improve the sidewalk on Ulumanu Drive, the main entrance to the school.

» Improve the sidewalk on Ulupii Street to allow traffic to utilize that street to get from Kalanianaole to the Ulumanu Drive main entrance.

» Connect Kailua Road to the campus student parking lot via a new, shorter access road between the Pohakupu subdivision and Old Kukanono.

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