Question: Many of us are wondering: whatever happened to our beloved Hee Hing restaurant? We all celebrated special occasions there each year and when they closed for renovations, we waited eagerly for its reopening. They were slated to reopen last fall and to this date, we have no idea what’s going on.
Answer: After more than 50 years in business, it looks like the popular family-run restaurant in Kapahulu will not reopen.
The restaurant’s Facebook page says, "permanently closed."
However, a final decision still has not been made, attorney James H.Q. Lee told us Wednesday.
"We need to decide very soon; once we do that, I’ll come up with some kind of press announcement," said Lee, whose father, Kin Ball Lee, opened the restaurant in 1963, and whose brother, Henry, had been running it "24/7."
Hee Hing closed for renovations a year ago, with plans to downsize the 10,000-square-foot restaurant by half.
Renovations were expected to take six months and the plan was to reopen, Lee said.
However, with "none of the kids" in the next generation wanting to get into the restaurant business, the question became, "do we really want to (continue doing) this?" he said.
Lee said he expects an announcement will be made within the next two weeks.
Question: The traffic light on Noelani Street, bisecting Waimano Home Road in Pearl City, stays on for 30 seconds whether there are cars or pedestrians using that street. This holds up traffic unnecessarily on both sides of Waimano Home Road and Moanalua Road/Kuala Street. About 30 to 50 cars are affected 24 hours, seven days a week, wasting gasoline. This has gone on for more than three years. I noticed about five workers looking at the traffic control box on Kuala Street in February. Are they doing something to resolve the problem?
Answer: The underground traffic signal conduits at Waimano Home Road and Noelani Street are in the city’s pipeline to be fixed, although there is no construction timeline at this point.
A contract has been executed to replace the conduit system, as well as to add a left-turn signal from Waimano Home Road onto Kuala Street, said Michael Formby, director of the Department of Transportation Services.
The cost of the project is $500,000-plus.
"We understand the frustration of drivers when a traffic signal is not working optimally," he said.
He explained the traffic signals at Waimano and Noelani were installed in 1973.
The underground conduits, where the electrical cables are installed, failed about three years ago, resulting in a system that no longer can detect the presence of vehicles or pedestrians.
After the problem was first identified, Formby said DTS started the process of budgeting for design and construction to upgrade the intersection.
Regarding the crew you saw, it most likely was the traffic signal team rechecking to see if temporary repairs could be done, Formby said. "Unfortunately, the problem requires major rework."
The contractor is in the process of ordering and waiting for the traffic signal equipment to arrive from the mainland.
The project is part of a larger contract that includes installing two new traffic signals, two left-turn modifications, one flasher and one intersection upgrade.
Mahalo
To HPD. We always seem to hear when they have done something wrong. Well, this is different! Mahalo to Detective Gregory Kinoshita of District 6 (Waikiki) and officers who helped find my moped after it was stolen from my home on Hobron Lane in Waikiki. It took a month, but an officer spotted it in Waimanalo and took the time to call and tell me they had it. They have a lot higher priorities, so I truly was amazed when I got the call. Thanks again to Honolulu’s finest for helping me regain my mobility. It saved a lot of wear and tear on my feet. — Bill F.
Write to "Kokua Line" at Honolulu Star-Advertiser, 7 Waterfront Plaza, Suite 210, 500 Ala Moana Blvd., Honolulu 96813; call 529-4773; fax 529-4750; or email kokualine@staradvertiser.com.
