Highways

Results support continued weekday closures of the onramp between 3 to 6:30 p.m.

HONOLULU – Based on the results of a six-month pilot closure, the Hawaii Department of Transportation (HDOT) has decided to continue to close the Piikoi onramp to the H-1 eastbound weekdays during the afternoon peak hours of 3 p.m. to 6:30 p.m.

Evaluation of the pilot closure, which can be found at this link, confirms the findings of the original April 2017 demonstration. The April 2017 demonstration studied the full closure of the onramp over the course of two weeks and resulted in a 682-page study, which can be found in its entirety here.

“We can say with confidence that the closure of the Piikoi onramp will improve the flow of traffic on the H-1 eastbound in the afternoons,” said Hawaii Department of Transportation Deputy Director for Highways Ed Sniffen. “The fact that the time savings in the main corridor continued to be evident in the follow up pilot closure confirmed that we made the best call for operational efficiency and safety in closing the Piikoi onramp during the afternoon peak.”

Analysis of the recent pilot closure found that closure of the Piikoi onramp resulted in time savings of 4.7 minutes for the average 20,000-plus drivers that use the H-1 eastbound between the Middle Street overpass and the Punahou offramp during peak afternoon travel hours (3 p.m. to 6:30 p.m.). A minimal increase in travel times was observed for approximately 2,200 drivers rerouting to other eastbound freeway onramps in the area, such as the Ward Avenue onramp.

The data collected through HDOT’s permanent traffic stations as well as randomized observational drives through the area, validated the results from the April 2017 demonstration. As such, HDOT will continue to close the Piikoi onramp to the H-1 eastbound Monday through Friday between 3 p.m. and 6:30 p.m. indefinitely.

HDOT expects the closure of the Piikoi onramp during the weekday afternoon peak to continue to help the flow of traffic on the H-1 eastbound in this heavily used corridor and to increase safety by reducing frequency of lane merges and weaving between the South Vineyard Boulevard, Ward Avenue and Piikoi Street onramps and the Punahou Street offramp.

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