State plans to build a $30 million pedestrian and bicycle bridge across Ala Moana Boulevard in Kakaako near the site of a horrific crash that killed three pedestrians and seriously injured four other victims is drawing criticism from some community members who say the costly project will largely benefit the upscale Ward Village development and doesn’t address more urgent safety concerns at other busy intersections nearby.
Supporters, meanwhile, welcome the proposed elevated walkway to be built midblock between Ward Avenue and Kamakee Street, saying it will enhance traffic flow and provide safe public access to and from Ala Moana Regional Park, Kakaako Waterfront Park and Kewalo Basin Harbor.
The Hawaii Department of Transportation’s draft environmental assessment of the project, prepared with consultant WSP USA Inc., was published last week by the state Office of Environmental Quality Control. The DOT said it anticipates a finding of no significant impact and is accepting further public comments until Dec. 8.
The state Highways Division is undertaking the proposed elevated walkway in partnership with Victoria Ward Ltd., developer of the 60-acre, master-planned Ward Village comprising at least 4,500 new residential condominium units. Each party is contributing $5 million to supplement a $20 million Better Utilizing Investments to Leverage Development Transportation Discretionary Grant awarded to the project in November 2019 by the U.S. Department of Transportation.
“HDOT sought the additional funds as it allows us to make capital investments in the infrastructure Hawaii residents and visitors use that we could not fund otherwise,” said the agency in an email Friday to the Honolulu Star-Advertiser. “In the case of the Ala Moana Elevated Pedestrian Walkway, HDOT believes the project will improve safety and mobility for the community and we are thankful that Victoria Ward Limited is partnering with us.”
According to the draft assessment, the BUILD grant was sought in response to the fatal Jan. 28, 2019, crash caused by a speeding truck that veered across three lanes of Ala Moana Boulevard and climbed over a mauka traffic island at the Kamakee Street intersection, hitting a group of pedestrians before slamming into another truck.
In the wake of the tragedy, the Legislature passed a resolution asking the state DOT to work with city transportation officials and private entities to study potential pedestrian safety measures at the Ala Moana-Kamakee intersection, including but not limited to constructing pedestrian bridges.
Currently, pedestrians rely on traffic signals and crosswalks at Ward Avenue and Kamakee Street to cross six-lane Ala Moana Boulevard. The two intersections are more than 1,300 feet apart, the DOT study noted, and “an additional mid-block crossing is needed to create strong pedestrian and bicycle links across the busy highway.”
The elevated walkway would be accessible via stairways and ramps in compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act, according to the assessment. A central pier to support the walkway structure would be placed in the highway median.
It’s questionable whether pedestrians would be willing to walk from other intersections to use the elevated walkway, especially if it meant having to double back once reaching the opposite side of the highway. But while it may not appear particularly convenient for current circumstances, DOT and the developer say the walkway is well situated for the increased foot and bicycle traffic that will come with the future opening of Victoria Ward Park and a rail transit station mauka of Ala Moana Boulevard.
“The location of the elevated walkway and bikeway at full build-out of the master-planned neighborhood will be in the heart of the neighborhood, creating a safe mauka-makai connection … ,” Race Randle, senior vice president of planning and development at Ward Village, told the Honolulu Star-Advertiser on Friday.
“The location of the walkway in the not-too-distant future is going to be a large public park space within Ward Village. We are really excited to build those parks and have gotten a lot of feedback from the community and public officials about how critical those green spaces are for urban Honolulu.”
He said the plan is for the elevated walkway and new park to come online at roughly the same time.
“Our goal in this is really about pedestrian and bike safety, and providing a safe alternative for crossing the busy street,” Randle said.
Questions raised
Public comments contained in the study opposing the project for the most part did not address potential impacts but instead questioned the need for the costly pedestrian bridge in the first place. Among those speaking out is the father of one of the survivors of the January 2019 crash.
Paul McCurdy is resident manager of nearby Hawaiki Tower on Piikoi Street. His daughter, Lianna, was seriously injured in the carnage that killed her friend Casimir Pokorny, who was visiting from Pennsylvania.
McCurdy told the Star-Advertiser that he has lived and worked in the area for 21 years and is “constantly crossing” Ala Moana Boulevard. He called the proposed elevated walkway “a money grab to create construction and jobs.”
“If Ward guys want to have a bridge, they can afford to build it themselves,” he said Friday.
He criticized the large expenditure of taxpayer funds to benefit future residents of Ward Village instead of undertaking pedestrian safety measures at Atkinson, Piikoi and other key intersections on behalf of current and longtime residents of the area.
“If they really want to improve public safety at crosswalks, then they should work on the crosswalks across the street from (Ala Moana) park — that’s where people really cross the street,” McCurdy said. “At Atkinson there are 20 or 30 people standing in front of traffic waiting to cross the street and there is no protection, no barriers. It’s amazing more accidents don’t happen.”
McCurdy advocated for traffic signal cameras to catch red-light runners, stepped-up police enforcement and use of sensors or other technology to make sure pedestrians can safely traverse the area’s streets.
He also said he found it “crass” that “graphic images” of the fatal January 2019 collision, including a photo of his daughter in a hospital bed from news reports, were used to solicit support and public money for the project. “There’s nothing tasteful about that,” McCurdy said.
His concerns were echoed by others who submitted comments on the project in October during DOT public outreach. Honolulu resident Bianca Isaki, who regularly surfs at the beach park and is a board member of the KAHEA environmental protection group, said the DOT was using the 2019 tragedy “as a way to gain support for what is clearly intended to be an amenity for the luxury high rise condominiums in Ward Village … at the expense of more pressing safety projects going unsatisfied across Honolulu County.”
Kakaako resident Gwen Young, who also submitted comments, told the Star-Advertiser on Friday the pedestrian bridge “is not a bad idea, but it’s an ill-planned project because they are giving us a fancy Cadillac version and I don’t know why it has to be so expensive. It’s a lot of money, and for the $5 million it’s going to cost the state, how many of these could we do in Kalihi Valley or others places that need it?”
Several members of the Save Ala Moana Beach Park Hui submitted emails questioning whether the public funding would have a more substantial impact if spent on pedestrian safety in communities throughout Oahu. Hui member Bruce Lum called the elevated walkway “overkill” and said it would not have prevented the fatal crash at the Kamakee Street intersection.
In response, DOT explained that it submitted multiple projects as candidates for competitive program grants, and that the $20 million BUILD grant required a private partner and can be used only for the pedestrian bridge. If it is not constructed, the money will have to be returned to the federal government.
The agency added that an estimated 235 jobs will be created or sustained by the capital improvement project.
Victoria Ward’s $5 million contribution includes land and planning and design services for the walkway. After construction, the Ward Village Owners Association will be responsible for cleaning, landscaping and security.
“It’s a privilege we were awarded it and the DOT is working with us on it,” Randle said. “We’re excited to get this partnership completed, and hopefully it will become a model for deployment of other safety crossings on the island.”
Safety measures
In the meantime, the DOT is preparing to resurface the Ala Moana Boulevard/Nimitz Highway corridor and install safety improvements at several intersections. These include a wider shoulder on Ala Moana Boulevard in the vicinity of Piikoi Street to Atkinson Drive, wider crosswalks at the Atkinson intersection, and restricting right turns on red lights at the Kamakee and Piikoi intersections.
As for alternatives to the pedestrian bridge, a signalized street-level crosswalk was rejected because it would not provide the same level of safety and convenience as the elevated walkway and would impede both pedestrian and traffic flows, according to the draft assessment.
An all-stop pedestrian “scramble” crossing such as those on Kalakaua Avenue in Waikiki also was rejected.
Among those supporting the elevated walkway was Friends of Kewalos, a group dedicated to protecting and preserving Kewalo Basin Park and the surrounding shoreline and ocean for recreational users. Writing on behalf of the group, Ron Iwami called the proposal “a great public safety project” that would provide the public safe access to the ocean and parks and enhance traffic flow.
Once the 30-day comment period closes Dec. 8, DOT may revise the proposal before submitting a final environmental assessment. If the project proceeds on track, construction may start in early 2022 and is anticipated to take 18 months.
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Planned improvements
The state Department of Transportation is planning a virtual public meeting on Dec. 15 to collect feedback and update the public on improvements and the schedule for the resurfacing and reconstruction of the Nimitz Highway and Ala Moana Boulevard corridor. Details on the time and logistics of the meeting will be announced at a later date.
The work includes:
>> Widening the shoulder to 5 feet between Alakawa Street and Sumner Street.
>> Removal of unsignalized crosswalks near the westbound Nimitz Highway split.
>> Installation of a curb on Nimitz Highway at Kukahi Street to improve pedestrian safety by reducing the crosswalk length.
>> Installation of a wider shoulder on Ala Moana Boulevard in the vicinity of Piikoi Street and continuing to Atkinson Drive.
>> Restriction of right-turn movements at the Kamakee and Piikoi street intersections.
>> Installation of wider crosswalks at the Atkinson Drive intersection.
Got comments?
Find the draft environmental assessment for the Ala Moana Boulevard pedestrian walkway at
oeqc2.doh.hawaii.gov. Public comments are due Dec. 8. Email comments to Michelle Kwan at DOT.HWY-AlaMoanaPed@hawaii.gov or mail to 601 Kamokila Boulevard, No. 609, Kapolei, HI 96707, with a copy to Randall Urasaki of consultant WSP USA Inc. at Randall.Urasaki@wsp.com or American Savings Bank Tower, 1001 Bishop St., Suite 2400, Honolulu, HI 96813.
