Whatever
Happened To...
An update on past news
City plans to make
roundabout in Salt Lake
permanent fixtureQuestion: What ever happened to the Salt Lake temporary roundabout on Ala Napunani and Likini Street?
Answer: The temporary roundabout will be replaced with a permanent roundabout, despite opposition from a number of residents and some members of the Aliamanu/Salt Lake/Foster Village Neighborhood Board. The roundabout was designed to reduce speeding on Ala Napunani.
City Transportation Director Cheryl Soon said the number of accidents has decreased since the temporary roundabout was installed in April.
Soon said construction is tentatively slated to start Dec. 15 and will take about six months. The roundabout will be built by Kaikor Construction Associates Inc. for about $635,000.
A public information campaign is expected to be held about three weeks before the roundabout is completed.
In September, board members voted 5-4 against the construction of a permanent roundabout.
"Building the roundabout is not going to eliminate the hazard," said board member Howard Shima.
Shima had recommended that the city install a traffic light on Ala Napunani and Ala Ilima because many students cross that intersection in the morning and afternoon. However, Soon said, a traffic light at that location would create too much congestion on Ala Napunani.
State Rep. Glenn Wakai (D, Moanalua-Salt Lake) conducted a door-to-door survey that showed that of 391 homes, 62 percent, or 241 homes, supported the roundabout while 134 homes, or 34 percent, opposed it. Four percent of the homes had no opinion on the roundabout.
"We are pleased that we will be moving forward with this," said Moanalua High School Principal Darrel Galera, who added that a permanent roundabout will provide a greater degree of safety for pedestrians.
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