Department of Transportation

HONOLULU – The Hawaii Department of Transportation (HDOT) is pleased to announce the opening of a shoulder which will be used as a lane of travel during the morning commute hours. The new shoulder lane is on the H-1 Freeway eastbound and begins after the Kualakai Parkway on-ramp to the Kunia/Waipahu/Ewa off-ramp (Exit 5). The shoulder will be open on weekday mornings from 5 a.m. to 9 a.m. excluding holidays.

“As a Leeward Oahu resident I know first-hand what commuters face when coming in from the west side,” said Ford Fuchigami, Hawaii Department of Transportation Director. “This shoulder lane will save people time. We are working on implementing more traffic relief solutions that will benefit commuters.”

Single occupancy vehicles are allowed to use the shoulder lane. Drivers should not exceed the posted speed limit. Commercial trucks and buses are prohibited in the shoulder. Those entering the shoulder lane will exit at the Kunia/Waipahu/Ewa (Exit 5) toward Kunia Road/Fort Weaver Road. This improvement will help get those vehicles out of the through eastbound lanes faster which will alleviate congestion in the area.

The operational improvement is part of Governor David Ige’s initiative to find projects that improve traffic congestion quickly and can be implemented quickly, inexpensively, and without impact to the environment. This project was expedited with the support of legislators like Representative Sharon Har and Representative Ty Cullen.

“I have been working with HDOT to find solutions that will ease the commute for West Oahu residents. This morning shoulder lane will provide an additional lane of capacity between Kualakai Parkway and Kunia Road and will alleviate our morning commute.” said State Representative Sharon Har.  “Considering that many West Oahu residents work in the Schofield area, this additional lane will provide relief not only for these drivers, but will reduce congestion for the town-bound drivers traveling in the general purpose lanes.”

“Thank you to the Hawaii Department of Transportation for listening to the concerns of the community and getting this shoulder lane project done.  As our office has worked with the community over the years, I especially want to thank them for their patience as we continue to adopt solutions that creatively alleviate traffic during the morning commute,” said State Representative Ty Cullen.  “This was a collaborative effort that shows what we can accomplish when we share our concerns and ideas and come up with implementable solutions.”

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