By early August, drivers will begin steering along reconfigured onramps and offramps on the H-1 freeway between Punahou Street and the Punchbowl area when the state completes a re-striping project that will add a fourth lane in each direction.
On the freeway itself, cars will be closer together as lanes will shrink to 10 feet wide from 12 feet, and roadway shoulders will be as narrow as 2 feet in the 1.4-mile stretch.
Traveling also will be slower since the speed limit will drop to 45 mph from 50 mph in the four lanes.
"I think that (10-foot lanes) just might make people panic," said Ryan Nishikawa, a student intern at a downtown pharmacy. "But if it can alleviate some traffic, then I’m all for it."
The state has called the re-striping a quick, relatively cheap way — the project is costing $200,000 — to add more capacity.
ALREADY SLIMMED
Similar lane conditions exist on the H-1 at these locations:
>> H-1, from Aiea to Waiawa: Existing 1-foot inside (left) shoulder
>> H-1, Middle Street overpass: Existing 10-foot-wide lanes
>> H-1, University Avenue to Middle Street: Inside (left) shoulder width of 1 foot and 2 feet, outside (right) shoulder width of about 4 feet Find out more about the re-striping project at the DOT’s website, hawaii.gov/dot Opens in a new tab. Follow the re-striping project link.
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Here’s how the Department of Transportation is configuring transitions from a three-lane freeway to a four-lane freeway, and back:
» Eastbound: The long Vineyard Boulevard/Ward Avenue onramp will become the fourth lane, with all lanes narrowing as the freeway viaduct crosses near Pensacola Street. Vehicles using the Piikoi onramp will no longer have a dedicated lane all the way to Punahou Street and will have to merge into the fourth lane. The freeway will go back to three lanes at the Punahou Street exit.
» Westbound: The Punahou onramp, now a dedicated lane that exits to Lunalilo Street, will become the fourth lane. The freeway will go back to three lanes at the Pali Highway exit, with the fourth lane being an exit-only lane.
DOT spokeswoman Caroline Sluyter said crews have been working nightly since July 15. Two lanes in each direction will continue to be closed from 10 p.m. Fridays until 6 a.m. Saturdays, 10 p.m. Saturdays to 6 a.m. Sundays, and 9 p.m. until 4 a.m. on other days of the week until the shoulder and re-striping work is completed, which is expected to be in the first week of August.
To re-stripe a freeway that remains in use during the day, the state is working from the median outward — erasing lane markings and applying new ones one at a time.
For example, the left shoulder stripe is "moved" first, leaving a left lane that is temporarily wider than normal.
On another day the next lane stripe is moved to create a 10-foot-wide left lane. The lane shuffle continues until the former three lanes are 10 feet wide, leaving room for a fourth 10-foot lane.
As of Tuesday, crews had completed re-striping the far left westbound lane to its 10-foot width, Sluyter said.
Commuters and residents who use the busy H-1 corridor offered comments of support and concern about road safety with the narrower lanes.
Sluyter said Oahu motorists already drive on 10-foot-wide freeway lanes — at the Middle Street overpass. She also cited a 2006 project that narrowed lanes to create an outside right merge/weave lane eastbound on the freeway between the Liliha Street onramp and Pali Highway offramp.
Don Rudd, a retired Kakaako resident, said the narrower lanes don’t concern him because he used to live in New York, where, he joked the lanes are 8 feet wide.
"Let ’em do it," Rudd said.
Grace Bonilla, who often takes the Pali exit, shared a similar sentiment.
"There’s room," she said. "I never thought about the lane size (before)."
The state will increase freeway patrols to keep traffic clear of stalled vehicles, Sluyter said. Motorists can call 841-4357 (841-HELP) to use the service.
Still, Tom Ostrosky wonders whether traffic accidents will increase in the newly striped area, because he always sees people on their cellphones and not paying attention to the road.
"I hope that it helps alleviate traffic, and I hope that it doesn’t create a safety issue for law enforcement or pedestrians," Ostrosky said, noting the deaths of on-duty police officers Garret Davis in January and Eric Fontes in September.
"If people would drive and pay attention, I don’t think you would have a safety issue," he said.
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