Question: Has the state given up on the Pali Highway Resurfacing Project? Some lanes are not smooth, especially on the Honolulu side of the tunnel coming over from the Kailua side.
Answer: No, but the project’s “substantial completion” date has been pushed back again, this time to September, according to the state Department of Transportation. It blamed delays on bad weather that stopped work for 103 days on the project, which extends along Pali Highway from Kamehameha Highway on the Windward side to Vineyard Boulevard on the Honolulu side.
Other readers have asked about uneven on-ramps and off-ramps, and sections of roadway that still need paving or other work, such as near Wyllie Street and Nuuanu Avenue. Still others have asked whether raised crosswalks would be reinstalled on the Honolulu side of the tunnel, town-bound.
The DOT issued an update Wednesday that covered these questions, outlining extensive work that remains to be done, which includes:
>> “Lower and upper lift paving, manhole adjustments, installation of traffic signal loop detectors, re-installation of raised crosswalks, new pavement markings, and new roadway signage.”
>> “Paving work is required in the Honolulu-bound direction from the Pauoa Road off-ramp to Vineyard Boulevard, and in the Kailua-bound direction from Vineyard Boulevard to the Waokanaka Street.”
>> Paving work and curb and gutter improvements also are scheduled on the Wyllie Street on-ramp and off-ramp, Pauoa Road on-ramp and off-ramp, Wyllie Street overpass, Funchal Street and Pacific Heights Road.
>> In addition to the work on Pali Highway, the DOT plans safety improvements at the nearby intersection of Wyllie Street and Nuuanu Avenue, which should reduce speed, make pedestrians safer and deter Pali Highway traffic from making illegal U-turns to reach Hawaii Baptist Academy, it said.
“Delineators will be placed on the Wyllie Street off-ramp to reinforce the no U-turn restriction at Nu‘uanu Avenue, the curb radius will be reduced on Wyllie Street to enhance pedestrian visibility, and a speed table will be installed on Nu‘uanu Avenue approaching the intersection from Pali Highway. Temporary improvements will be installed by April, while permanent changes will be in place by September,” it said. See an illustration of the changes at 808ne.ws/3n3TegI.
For information about the Pali Highway Resurfacing Project, the DOT refers people to the project website at palihighway.org, which as of Thursday hadn’t been updated since January, and to its list of Oahu road closures, which is updated weekly on the DOT website. The direct link is hidot. hawaii.gov/highways/roadwork/oahu.
Q: What is the minimum legal age to operate an electric bike? In our neighborhood we’ve seen children as young as 5 weaving on the road; some play “chicken” and come directly at us! There are no adults supervising; it’s a matter of time before one of them has an accident. By the time we call HPD, they’ve zoomed away. We live in Wahiawa near Ka‘ala Elementary School and have observed these children riding up and down California and Kilani avenues. Sometimes they ride in packs, two or three abreast. It’s so scary!
A: State law sets the minimum age at 15. See Hawaii Revised Statutes Section 291C-143.5.
Also, to answer another reader’s question, no, electric bikes are not allowed on sidewalks, per HRS 291C-145, which says that “no person shall ride a bicycle equipped with a motor on any sidewalk.”
Mahalo
Mahalo to the man who shouted to warn me that I was about to step in a pothole crossing a street in Kakaako to get to Kapiolani Boulevard. I don’t know the name of the street or the name of the man. I was so intent on watching the traffic signal and then the passing traffic that I didn’t notice the hazard underfoot. I’m sure I would have tripped. I was startled, but appreciate it. — Pedestrian
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.
