Advertisement - Click to support our sponsors.

By Ken Sakamoto, Star-Bulletin
Rollerblading in Kakaako Park are Wes Pei, left, and
David Bayne. Approval for construction leading to an
additional 1.5 miles of pathway is expected to be
given by the end of the year.

Path may
link Kakaako,
Ala Moana parks

Bicyclists, pedestrians,
joggers, persons in wheelchairs
and skaters would have more safety

By Wilma Jandoc
Star Bulletin

Goody Cacal works at an automotive shop just two blocks from Kakaako Waterfront Park. He bikes to the park daily for lunch but must work his way around parked and moving cars and look over his shoulder.

This all happens while riding along the edge of the road.

"From Ala Moana to Kakaako, it's very dangerous," he said.

Although he enjoys the half-hour bike rides he takes around the park, the lack of sidewalks or bike routes leading to the park are somewhat of a deterrent. He was glad to hear of the proposed path linking Aloha Tower and Kewalo Basin.

The Hawaii Community Development Authority plans to develop a shared-use path running through Kakaako's Makai Area and Waterfront. It can be used by bicyclists, pedestrians, joggers, persons in wheelchairs and skaters.

The sidewalk along Ala Moana will be used, in addition to the Kakaako and Kewalo promenades. New paths 12 feet wide will be constructed along Keawe and Ahui streets, which lead to Kakaako Park. Presently, there are no sidewalks or paths along those two streets.

The additions, including the promenades, will add about 1.5 miles of pathway, said authority Executive Director Jan Yokota.

Cacal, 47, said he rides "maybe six to eight times around in the park," going along its pathways and through the promenade, which runs next to the ocean. But bicyclists are not the only ones who enjoy the park. Kakaako is a favorite picnic spot for schools field trips, and children often crowd the promenade, playing.

"It's kind of hard," he said. "There are a lot of kids, so you have to go slow.

"If it had a longer route, that would be nice," he added.

Davison Tito, 30, who rides his bike to the park from Nimitz nearly every day, also has safety issues on his mind. "I'm not supposed to be on the sidewalk, but most of the time I do because I'm afraid of cars," he said.

This is what the proposed shared-use path intends to solve.

Yokota said main approvals for the project must still come from the city Department of Planning and Permitting and the state Department of Transportation. The Federal Highway Administration, which is providing 80 percent of the funding for the project, also must approve the plan.

But Yokota expects approval will be given by the end of the year. "We think it (approval) will be highly likely because we did get preliminary approval," she said.

The estimated cost of the project is $2.2 million, and construction is expected to take one year to complete.

Bicyclists are glad for the safety and convenience that the path would provide. "Sometimes I leap onto the sidewalk or hit the curb when I'm riding," Tito said. "If there were bike roads, it would be safer."

Yokota said she thinks the path is a great project. "We had been talking about linking the (Kakaako and Ala Moana) parks for a long time," she said. "Right now it's very hard for people to walk or jog. This will create the linkage."