Administration

KAHULUI – Following the opening of the latest phase of the Honoapiilani Highway Realignment, Phase 1B-2 (also known as the Lahaina Bypass) from the end of Phase 1B-1 at Hokiokio Place to the realignment’s interim southern terminus in Olowalu, the Hawaii Department of Transportation (HDOT) has made the following adjustments:

1. Added a Variable Message Sign (VMS) on Wednesday, April 25, 2018 to clarify that lower Honoapiilani Highway is open to local beach access from Kai Hele Ku Street. The VMS message reads “Road closed ahead/Beach access only.” The barriers at Kai Hele Ku Street were removed today, Friday, April 27, 2018.
2. Placed a VMS stating: “Bypass access/Next two lefts” before Hokiokio Place on the southbound lower Honoapiilani Highway on Monday, April 23, 2018 to remind motorists heading towards Maalaea that they could use Hokiokio Place to continue southbound on the Bypass/Honoapiilani Highway. Traffic observations from Monday showed most motorists choosing to travel south on Honoapiilani Highway were waiting until Kai Hele Ku Street to turn onto the Bypass.
3. Installation of delineators on the traffic island at Keawe Street and Honoapiilani Highway. These delineators were installed to visually remind drivers continuing north from the interim northern terminus at Keawe Street that they have a free right-hand turn provided there are no pedestrians present. Traffic observations prior to the installation of the delineators showed most motorists continuing onto northbound Honoapiilani Highway were making an unnecessary stop at the Keawe Street/Honoapiilani Highway intersection.

HDOT crews and contractors continue to record times and monitor traffic signals along the Bypass and at key connector roads, Kai Hele Ku Street and Keawe Street. Monday afternoon traffic was observed queuing back through Hinau Street on Keawe due to cars coming from afternoon pickups at nearby schools. Cars are clearing through the intersection within two cycles during this peak school traffic. We will continue to monitor and make adjustments as needed.

Recorded travel times on the Bypass were:

Monday, April 23

Northbound from the Southern Terminus to Keawe Street

• Midmorning (between 8-11 a.m.) – 12-14 minutes
• Afternoon peak (between 4-6 p.m.) – 9.25 minutes

 Southbound from Keawe Street to the Southern Terminus

• Midmorning – 8-9 minutes
• Afternoon peak – 9.9 minutes

Early morning travel times between Wailuku and Lahaina were delayed due to contraflow in Olowalu to complete the tie-in to the Southern Terminus. The contraflow began at 3 a.m. and went 35 minutes past the originally scheduled end time of 6 a.m. The opening of the new route was scheduled for day break to increase safety as motorists got used to the traffic flow.

Tuesday, April 24

Northbound from the Southern Terminus to Keawe Street

• Morning peak (6:30-9:20 a.m.) – 8.5 minutes
• Midmorning to noon (10:20 a.m. – 12:15 p.m.) – 8.5 minutes

Southbound from Keawe Street to the Southern Terminus

• Morning peak (7:45) – 8 minutes
• Midmorning to noon (10:15 a.m. – 12:45 p.m.) – 8.5 minutes

Travel from Wailuku to Keawe Street in the morning peak took 30 minutes.

Wednesday, April 25

Northbound from the Southern Terminus to Keawe Street

• Morning (8-9:30 a.m.) – 9.5 minutes

 Southbound from Keawe Street to the Southern Terminus

• Morning (8:45 a.m.) – 8 minutes (using Honoapiilani Highway and turning up Kai Hele Ku Street took 10 minutes)
• Afternoon (1:30 p.m.) – 8 minutes

Travel from the Kahului Airport area to the Keawe Street/Honoapiilani Highway intersection in the 8 o’clock hour took 38 minutes. The return trip from Keawe Street/Honoapiilani Highway to Maalaea beginning at 1:30 p.m. took 24 minutes. HDOT asked the Maui Bus operators to track their travel times and was told AM bus travel times between Lahaina and Kahului averaged 53 minutes and PM bus times on the same route took 60 minutes to Lahaina and 55 minutes to Kahului.

Thursday, April 26

Travel times on the Bypass and lower Honoapiilani Highway continued to track as measured on Wednesday. A previously scheduled lane shift tree for trimming in Olowalu caused some delays in the area.

Additional work and opening of Southern Connector Road

The Southern Connector Road, which will allow traffic from the lower Honoapiilani Highway to free flow back onto the Bypass to continue towards Maalaea is still expected to open on Friday, May 11, 2018. The second left-turn lane from southbound Honoapiilani Highway onto the northern terminus of the Bypass at Keawe Street is expected to open on Friday, May 4, 2018.

###