A $17.8 million project to build a pedestrian and bicycle bridge over Ala Moana Boulevard in Kakaako is scheduled to begin today.

The state Department of Transportation said construction of the elevated walkway, located midblock between Ward Avenue and Kamakee Street, is anticipated to be completed in the fall of 2023.

The bridge is meant to provide safe passage over the busy, six-lane boulevard for pedestrians and bicyclists coming to and from Ala Moana Regional Park, Kakaako Waterfront Park and Kewalo Basin Harbor. DOT estimated that about 2,100 pedestrians and bicyclists will use the overpass daily.

DOT said the raised span also will improve the flow of foot and vehicle traffic on Ala Moana Boulevard by eliminating the disruptions caused by crosswalks.

The project was in part a response to a fatal crash in January 2019 caused by a speeding truck that veered across Ala Moana Boulevard and hit a group of pedestrians waiting at a mauka traffic island at the Kamakee Street intersection. Three people were killed and four others injured.

In the wake of the tragedy, the state Legislature asked DOT to study pedestrian safety measures in the area, including the construction of pedestrian bridges.

DOT is contributing $3.6 million toward the $17.8 million construction cost and was awarded a $14.3 million grant for the project by the U.S. Department of Transportation.

Victoria Ward Ltd., developer of the 60-acre, master-­planned Ward Village, is contributing $5 million in bridge design and land costs.

In outreach sessions in 2020, members of the public raised concerns about the bridge, saying that too much taxpayer money would be used to build a bridge that would mostly benefit residents of Ward Village condos.

Shar Chun-Lum, a member of the Save Ala Moana Beach Park Hui, questioned the state’s $5 million contribution to the project and argued there are cheaper alternatives to keep pedestrians safe that would allow some of the money to be used for safety improvements in other neighborhoods.

Chun-Lum still has those concerns.

“What they do for other communities like Nuuanu or, now, Waianae is build one of those raised crosswalks to slow down the traffic, and there are other places that put lights on. … Even by Whole Foods they have a lighted crosswalk,” she said.

DOT said it would cost about $120,000 to install a raised crosswalk on Ala Moana Boulevard. Ed Sniffen, deputy director for highways, said that was an option until the state was awarded the federal grant.

“Those solutions were considered for this area, and we were able to upgrade our treatment due to the competitive grant awarded by USDOT,” Sniffen said in a statement. He added that the goal is “to eliminate conflicts between the projected 2,100 pedestrians and bicyclists that would use the bridge daily and the roughly 40,000 vehicles that will use the corridor daily will improve safety and operational efficiency for generations.”

Other critics have said that the placement of the pedestrian bridge shows that it is meant to primarily serve residents of the high-rise condominiums at Ward Village, where the Howard Hughes Corp., parent of Victoria Ward, plans to build 4,500 units in 16 condominiums.

“The pedestrian bridge seems like a way to entice more people to use (Ala Moana Beach Park) as an extension of Ward Village,” Honolulu resident Bianca Isaki said in a written testimony in 2020 opposing the project. “Creating more ways to make it easier for those in the nearby condos to access the park does not seem necessary, other than to increase the value of market-rate condo units.”

Chun-Lum said the bridge’s location seems inconvenient for other pedestrians, who will likely continue to use existing crosswalks in the area.

DOT said there is a potential for additional bridges across Ala Moana Boulevard, although none are planned currently.

State Sen. Sharon Moriwaki (D, Kakaako-McCully- Waikiki) said future safety improvements after the pedestrian bridge is built should be considered.

“There’s room for discussion for how we can get across this huge highway safely, not only for residents, but for visitors,” she said.

No lane closures will be needed for the first two weeks of work on the project, but officials said that after that, construction will be ongoing from 8:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. weekdays and nightly Sunday through Thursday from 7 p.m. to 4 a.m.

Occasional Friday and Saturday night work also will be scheduled, DOT said.