Heads up to drivers cruising along Waiehu Beach Road—expect some slowdowns next week. The Hawaiʻi Department of Transportation is rolling out road repair work, and they're putting in some traffic-calming features to keep speeding in check. From Monday, Dec. 8 through Friday, Dec. 12, between the hours of 8:30 a.m. and 3 p.m., lane closures are scheduled that might just stretch your patience and your commute time.
Four speed tables and three raised crosswalks are on the agenda to be installed on Waiehu Beach Road, specifically between Kūkona Place and Lower Waiehu Beach Road, and at the intersections of Kūkona Place, Kaikoʻo Street, and Kainalu Place. This is to basically force drivers to slow down a notch—it's been recorded that the majority of drivers tend to go at least 10 mph over the 30 mph speed limit. According to a statement made by the Hawaiʻi Department of Transportation, "HDOT is installing the speed tables and raised crosswalks as a speed management strategy on this corridor."
As if that's not enough, they're also going to add some flash to these raised crosswalks with Rectangular Rapid Flashing Beacon and Street Light units—pretty fancy, huh? Work will start at the intersection of Waiehu Beach Road and Lower Waiehu Beach Road, and march its way toward Kahului Beach Road.
And because roads, like anything else, age and crack, there's also some pavement preservation action in the mix. Pavement crack sealing, a maintenance measure to extend the road's lifespan, will kick off on Monday, Dec. 8, beginning at the intersection of Waiehu Beach Road and Kahului Beach Road. This will, hopefully, prevent bigger headaches down the road as they work toward Kahekili Highway.
The Hawaiʻi Department of Transportation is asking drivers to pay attention to traffic controls and to be kind to the workers out there by driving carefully. So, let's try to smoothly adapt to the rhythm of road work and safety improvements—for everyone's sake.
