After enduring several years of lane closures and construction, commuters driving to West Oahu now have an added lane to use on the H-1 freeway that runs from the Aiea Heights Drive overpass to Waikele. 

State transportation officials say the new 2.5 mile-long lane will accommodate more than 2,000 cars an hour, and that they hope that the move will make a big dent in congestion by eliminating, or at least reducing bottlenecks at two points along that stretch of freeway. 

Starting on Monday, westbound commuters can also use a new afternoon shoulder lane that will run 3:30 to 6 p.m. Monday through Friday from the Aiea Heights Drive overpass to the Waimalu/Pearl City off ramp (Exit 10), according to the state’s Department of Transportation. 

Ed Sniffen, the DOT’s deputy director for the Highways Division, said drivers will still have to deal with lane closures through the end of the year to help resurface the new lane and relocate signs. Those closures, however, won’t shut down more than two lanes at a time. The traffic shouldn’t back up as much as during the overnight closures that drivers endured in recent years, according to Sniffen.