A long road to safety

A fatal crash on Kapaa Quarry Road is the latest incident to stir calls for more fixes

Flowers, balloons and a red and a white lei now mark the spot where two 18-year-old women died Thursday after their speeding sports utility vehicle crashed head-on into a pickup truck and rolled down an embankment at a dangerous dip in Kapaa Quarry Road.

Yesterday, in what police said was a routine effort to deter speeding in the area, officers from the Kailua police station used a radar gun to catch people going over the 25-mile-per-hour speed limit.

Kapaa Quarry Road has numerous curves, no street lights and a blind dip where 18-year-olds Whitney Fergerstrom and Leshay Gusman died.

"That's why the speed limit is at 25 mph," said Sgt. Gary Daniels of the Kailua station. "I've seen many accidents there over the years. There was a dispatcher's son that got into a serious accident there."

Other victims of accidents involving speeding along the road include:

"Now everybody's saying, 'Remember when this happened,' " said Kailua Neighborhood Board Chairwoman Katherine Bryant-Hunter.

Five other people were injured in the crash that occurred at about 10:30 p.m. Thursday, including a 19-year-old woman who was taken to the Queen's Medical Center in critical condition.

The Medical Examiner's office conducted an autopsy on Fergerstrom and Gusman, but tests for alcohol and drugs are still pending.

Nearby residents said it is rare to see drivers follow the posted speed limit of 25 mph.

Police say thrill-seekers sometimes speed on purpose and treat the dip in the road like a roller-coaster ride.

Dennis Cheng, 41, of Kaneohe has two daughters attending Le Jardin Academy on Kapaa Quarry Road and travels there almost every day.

"Pretty much everyone here is speeding," Cheng said. "When you're going down that hill, you can't see anything."

Numerous beautification efforts have cleaned up the road. A school moved in and business at the industrial park is growing. That has led to an increase in the number of people who use Kapaa Quarry Road.

"There's been a lot of progress in that area, and I think that's the reason why more people are driving there," Bryant-Hunter said. "When it's clean, you feel safer."

The Neighborhood Board has proposed changes to make the road safer.

But there are several obstacles to fixing the road.

Nearby birds are protected by law from bright streetlights in the area, and widening the road would require federal coordination because it is so close to Kawainui Marsh.

Bryant-Hunter said the issue of safety on the road likely will be brought up in future board meetings. Some possible ways to make the road safer include posting more speed limit signs and installing ground lights or flashing lights.

City spokesman Bill Brennan could not comment on past or future improvements for the road.