Highways

HONOLULU – Gov. Neil Abercrombie and the Hawaii Department of Transportation (HDOT) celebrated the substantial completion of the H-1 Freeway Rehabilitation Project at a dedication ceremony this morning at Bernice Pauahi Bishop Museum, overlooking the freeway. The project reconstructed and resurfaced one of the most heavily traveled corridors in the state and added an extra travel lane in both directions in less than 11 months. New LED street lighting, added drainage, and glare screens were also installed to improve highway safety.

“We didn’t just resurface H-1, we rebuilt and improved it, getting the job done in time to Beat the School Jam,” said Gov. Abercrombie. “The new lane restriping gives motorists four lanes in each direction instead of three in the busiest section of freeway through Downtown Honolulu. We’ve already heard from motorists experiencing the reduction of traffic, which will save motorists time and money, reduce pollution and improve our overall quality of life.”

The H-1 Rehab Project spanned from the vicinity of Middle Street to the vicinity of Ward Avenue and was completed mainly with nighttime work. Work on the $42 million federal aid project began on Sept. 22, 2013, included both partial and full overnight closures in both directions, and also included the widening of the Nuuanu Stream Bridge. The project area averages approximately 200,000 vehicles daily, which precluded the use of daytime lane closures.

The last major resurfacing of this section was previously completed in the late 1990s, during which a 1.5-to-2-inch layer of asphalt concrete was laid over the existing pavement. The rehabilitation went to greater depths than a top-layer resurfacing for better and longer-lasting results. Construction crews removed and replaced up to 12 inches of asphaltic concrete in the most badly deteriorated sections.

“Due to the volume of motorists that would be affected, HDOT began a public outreach campaign in November 2012 that used traditional means, like public meetings and flyers, and also new methods, like Facebook and Twitter, to get the message out,” said HDOT Interim Director Ford Fuchigami. “Media coverage, partnering with legislators, and word-of-mouth also helped to spread the word.”

The H-1 Rehab public outreach campaign was recognized with an award from the Hawaii Chapter of the Public Relations Society of America on July 25 for best integrated communications in the Government, Associations and Non-Profits category.

“The HDOT thanks the public for its patience and kokua during the lane closures and hopes they enjoy these improvements that are part of our goal of improving the state’s transportation infrastructure,” Fuchigami said.