Kokua Line: What’s going on at Kapiolani Park?
Question: Our apartment overlooks Kapiolani Park and we walk there often. Something obviously major is going on, and I think the public should be informed what it is. There are new barriers around the trees along the makai side of the park, and today they installed a long black bumper near the trees. The many people who live near and enjoy the park, as well as the countless visitors who love it, should know what is happening.
Answer: You observed preparations to widen the pathway around Kapiolani Park, which is being done in phases. The third phase of work is set to begin Monday. Crews will start at the Diamond Head end of the park near the Dillingham Fountain by the intersection of Kalakaua and Paki avenues and work toward Waikiki, Nathan Serota, a spokesperson for Honolulu’s Department of Parks and Recreation, said Thursday in an email.
Parks and Rec issued a news release about this project Thursday, which said this third phase “will improve and expand the stretch of concrete pathway on the mauka side of Kalakaua Avenue between Monsarrat and Paki avenues. This will be done by removing the existing three-foot-wide walkway, and replacing it with an eight-foot-wide concrete walkway.”
No trees are scheduled to be removed in this project, Serota said. “There will be some tree canopy and root pruning, but no removals,” he said, noting that most of the sidewalk expansion will be toward the street (makai), while numerous trees near the existing path are on the park side (mauka).
“Along with providing more space for pedestrians, having concrete beginning from the curb will make maintenance easier for DPR staff. Trimming that narrow patch of grass along such a long stretch is time-consuming,” he said.
The news release said the work will be done in sections, with the whole phase expected to be finished by the end of this summer. Access to the pathway will be restricted while work is underway.
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The first phase of recent pathway improvements in the 200-acre park occurred in 2021, when a roughly quarter-mile stretch bordering the Honolulu Zoo from Kapahulu to Monsarrat avenues was upgraded, the news release said. The second project, in 2023, improved a three-quarter-mile stretch of the shared- use path along the makai side of Paki Avenue between Monsarrat Avenue and Poni Moi Road, it said.
Q: I thought the AMA relented on recreational marijuana.
A: No, the American Medical Association “continues to oppose legalization of cannabis. Legalization of cannabis for adult use is associated with increased traffic fatalities, exposures reported to poison control (including infants and children), emergency department visits, and cannabis-related hospitalizations. Furthermore, the increasing prevalence of cannabis use in pregnant people is most concerning. At the same time, the AMA supports mitigating the collateral consequences of cannabis- related offenses when such offenses are no longer illegal in a state,” the organization says on its website. Read its policy statement at 808ne.ws/amacan Opens in a new tab.
Auwe
Slow down! There’s a restaurant we like in Waimanalo, but it’s right off the main road and people drive by so fast that sometimes it’s hard to back out of the parking space when we are ready to go home. Slow down so we can support local! — East Siders
(Editor’s note: The state Department of Transportation announced Thursday that the speed limit on Kalanianaole Highway (Route 72) between Kaiona Beach Park and the intersection of Aloiloi Street in Waimanalo has been reduced to 25 mph, effective immediately. The old speed limit was 35 mph. New speed limit signs have been installed.)
Mahalo
My heartfelt mahalo to the tall “huggy bear” refuse collector who picked me up when I fell backward on the road, suffering a tailbone fracture and neck tear. The shock of my fall stunned me and prevented me from thanking him. I was mesmerized by his kind eyes. This senior thanks you so very much. — Lorraine, Moanalua Gardens
Write to Kokua Line at Honolulu Star-Advertiser, 500 Ala Moana Blvd., Suite 7-500, Honolulu, HI 96813; call 808-529-4773; or email kokualine@staradvertiser.com.
