Westbound ZipLane project in works

State officials say the construction will be carried out in phases and finished in 2011

State transportation officials plan to put some zip into the westbound trip home on the H-1 freeway.

Plans for a $45 million project are in the initial stages to create a ZipLane from the Keehi Interchange to Waikele for westbound motorists during the late afternoon.

"We believe this is going to bring tremendous relief for commuters trying to get home on the west side," said Department of Transportation Director Brennon Morioka.

The project is expected to be completed in 2011. The state will begin accepting bids in the spring.

The project will be done in phases. In the initial phase, a contraflow will be built between Radford Drive near Aloha Stadium and the Waiawa interchange in Waikele. Later, a fourth lane will be built in the westbound direction through the interchange.

Since the ZipLane opened in eastbound lanes in 1998 to ease morning rush-hour traffic, commuters have asked for the same feature for afternoon westbound commuters, Morioka said.

Details of the project such as minimum occupancy and times the lane will be open to motorists have yet to be determined. State transportation officials are also determining whether the lane will have a retractable barrier or a fixed barrier. A fixed barrier will significantly reduce maintenance and operation costs for the state because there won't be a need for the Zip Mobile.

"We would save a lot of money," Morioka said.

Star-Bulletin / 2005 The state is in the early planning stages for a westbound ZipLane from the Keehi Interchange to Waikele during the afternoon. Here, motorists enter the eastbound ZipLane near the Hickam offramp.

Some neighborhood board members in Central and Leeward Oahu believe the project will benefit westbound commuters.

"It's good news," said Richard Oshiro, chairman of the Waipahu Neighborhood Board. Traffic conditions are just going to get worse as growth of residential development continues, he added.

"It's bad already. No question about that," he said, adding that alternatives like the ZipLane for afternoon commuters is needed.

Jyun Yamamoto, a member of the Wahiawa Neighborhood Board, said he is glad to hear about the state's plan. Yamamoto, who regularly commutes to Wahiawa from town, said it takes him about an hour or more to reach home if he leaves after 3:40 p.m. as traffic backs up in the Pearl City and Aiea area.

Maeda Timson, chairwoman of the Makakilo/Kapolei/Honokai Hale Neighborhood Board, said she wants transportation officials to get community feedback on the project. "I would really hope that the state would come to the community for input because their statistics and their readings and their engineers are not quite the same as the actual commuters that drive the nightmare every day," Timson said.

She recommended the state provide an additional lane for all westbound commuters, not one with a minimum occupancy requirement. "The best for all commuters would be an additional lane so everybody benefits from it. At the end of the day, people just want to go home and be with their families. It's all about the quality of life," she said.