The state and the City and County of Honolulu will start long-awaited road improvements in the Kakaʻako area.
Starting next month, crews will begin construction to repave and stripe the streets. They also plan to add signs, lighting and sidewalks in the area.
“I think for the residents who live here, now that we have all the condos, putting in the sidewalks would make it safer for them to walk and use the neighborhood where they live in,” said Elroy Hamada, owner of Hamada General Store, at a news conference last week.
Hamada and local officials held the news conference at the store’s parking lot along Queen Street, one of the high-priority roads lined with businesses.
Nearby business owners recently won a lawsuit to give the state control of key streets there. The roads had been under private ownership for decades but have fallen into disrepair under their control.
“There's so many people who drive through these roads, and it's just great news that we're finally taking some action to repair them and to keep them maintained,” said House Speaker Scott Saiki at the news conference.
Once the state is done, the city will continue improvements. Honolulu Department of Transportation Services Director Roger Morton said the five-year construction plan in the area will cost about $50 million, and a 10-year plan could cost $100 million.
“Infrastructure is not just the pavement, but the drainage, (and) the other things that go along with making a city a real city. And it's not just Queen Street — there's a number of streets in Kaka'ako that we're going to commit to improve,” Morton said.
The improvements will also lead to a new bus route in the area, officials said.
