With the Waiʻanae Coast Emergency Access Road scheduled to reopen in spring 2025, some residents are hopeful the bypass will improve community safety and traffic flow.
The state Department of Transportation has committed to making upgrades to the road to form a roughly 5-mile route stretching from the Nānākuli to Waiʻanae areas. The route would primarily consist of Paʻakea Road, between Lualualei Naval and Māʻiliʻili Roads.
The route is parallel to Farrington Highway, which is the only road in and out of the area, but is often plagued with traffic.
The new road will help speed up traffic and serve as an alternate route in emergencies.
“ If we have this open, whether it's for emergency responders to be able to get to the coastline, residents just trying to get home, or residents evacuating, all three of those situations will be positively impacted by the new road opening,” said Rep. Cedric Gates, who has worked to get the access road open to traffic.
Part of the route is closed and rarely opens. Gates said residents are frustrated about its closure and don’t understand why it can’t be opened for daily use.
Having a single roadway available to residents trying to get in and out has been a worry to the community for some time, and was exacerbated following the deadly Maui wildfires last year.
“I've sat in traffic for over three hours before trying to get home. We know that this route will help alleviate that commute time when a crisis hits,” Gates said.
The DOT’s work will include lane widening, improved lighting and other traffic safety upgrades.
Gates said he’s working on getting more roads open on the west side, including more connecting the area to other parts of Oʻahu.
