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H-1 Lunalilo Street Ramp Trial

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  • H-1 Lunalilo Street Ramp Trial

    Lunalilo closure has some success
    A 90-day closing of the offramp tries to clear a "choke point" in morning traffic
    Rod Antone, Honolulu Star-Bulletin, August 10, 2004
    Morning rush-hour traffic appeared to flow easier and with less congestion than usual after transportation officials closed the Lunalilo onramp to the freeway. They funneled motorists to the Vineyard offramp, where drivers can get on the freeway by taking a right on Punchbowl Street from Vineyard.
    H-1 test cuts commute time for some; others wary
    Mike Leidemann, Honolulu Advertiser, August 10, 2004
    The first day of the state's trial program to ease congestion near an H-1 Freeway chokepoint went "even better than expected," state Transportation Director Rod Haraga said yesterday. Forcing westbound drivers to forgo merging onto H-1 from the Lunalilo on-ramp helped traffic flow smoother, officials said. "For the first day, it exceeded all our expectations," Haraga said. "We never saw the big backup that usually occurs."
    I used to use that onramp every morning, leaving our place in Makiki to get to work near the airport. Getting shunted back off the freeway only to rejoin it again at Punchbowl seems like a hassle, but that whole onramp/offramp interchange has always been a major problem. I think this idea has legs. Now if they could only figure out what to do with that same ramp for afternoon rush hour... like the long-debated flip-flop of one-way streets Piikoi and Pensacola.

  • #2
    Re: H-1 Lunalilo Street Ramp Trial

    Originally posted by pzarquon
    I used to use that onramp every morning, leaving our place in Makiki to get to work near the airport. Getting shunted back off the freeway only to rejoin it again at Punchbowl seems like a hassle, but that whole onramp/offramp interchange has always been a major problem. I think this idea has legs. Now if they could only figure out what to do with that same ramp for afternoon rush hour... like the long-debated flip-flop of one-way streets Piikoi and Pensacola.
    Not only Makiki residents are impacted by this. Many residents in the Kakaako, Ala Moana, Pa'awa, and McCully area are negatively impacted by this early morning closure. The last time this was tried in 1998 the experiment only lasted for about 2 weeks before things were reverted back to how it was.
    I'm still here. Are you?

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    • #3
      Re: H-1 Lunalilo Street Ramp Trial

      This sounded to me like a great idea the moment I heard it, and I'm glad to hear that initial reports are positive. Something has baffled me for years: there are people who STUDY traffic, and not just from the drivers' perspective. They watch traffic patterns, study problem areas, and make mathematical calculations based on what they see.

      We, the drivers, see traffic only one way, and that's filtered through our preconceptions and biases.

      It seems to me we should listen more to the guys who study traffic, but it seems that whenever they say we're doing something wrong, drivers say the advice doesn't make any sense.

      It's encouraging to me that a hardware adjustment like this onramp-closure is proving the traffic experts right about something. Perhaps--and I know I'm only thinking wishfully here--we drivers will be more open now to making a few software changes: adjusting our driving practices and attitudes in such a way that benefits the general flow of traffic.

      Now, what about other problem areas on the freeway? Where else is there a similar "weaving" situation where an onramp closure could pick up the flow?
      But I'm disturbed! I'm depressed! I'm inadequate! I GOT IT ALL! (George Costanza)
      GrouchyTeacher.com

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      • #4
        Re: H-1 Lunalilo Street Ramp Trial

        I think Hawaii highways are a treasure trove of oddities and exceptions that would make any civil engineer or transportation specialist either happy or insane. Each of our "interstate" highways break many conventions and rules that govern how official Interstate highways (as defined by the federal DOT) should be built.

        • We have far too many onramps and offramps too close together (I believe the general rule is no more than one per mile -- exit numbers usually indicate the distance in miles from the "start" of the highway).
        • We have onramps that are impossibly short, and as "yield" points, often require drivers coming in to do so from a full stop (the University Ave. ramp to H-1 eastbound is a great example).
        • We have onramps and offramps that share the same lanes. This is our "weave" problem at Lunalilo Street on/Vineyard off (H-1 westbound), and plenty of other places... University Ave. on/Wilder Ave. off (H-1 westbound), Airport Viaduct on/Likelike Hwy. off (H-1 eastbound), Pensacola on/Punahou off (H-1 eastbound)... Ick!
        • The above, of course, is preferable to the more common problem and the reason for most gridlock: we have "pinch" spots, where the number of "thru lanes" is reduced. The H-1 eastbound between the Kinau Street and Punahou Street offramps is the most incredible example. A total of seven lanes (two coming on from Vineyard, two coming on from Ward) squeezing down to three. A lot of this is too far gone to fix, of course, since fixing it would require moving bridges (like the double-decker overpass at Middle Street) or razing more houses. The fact that they're actually adding that sixth lane on H-1 westbound before the Pearl City offramp - including widening that long bridge - shows just how desperate things have become.
        I agree, we need people who see the big picture, and who have the cajones to stand up for the inevitable uproar from the folks that a needed change will inconvenience.

        The Pensacola/Piikoi flip I mentioned is one of those things that have been repeatedly proposed, but will probably never happen. So, traffic in Makiki will continue to tie itself in knots, long snakes of cars trying simply to get through each other on their way somewhere else...

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        • #5
          Re: H-1 Lunalilo Street Ramp Trial

          Each of our "interstate" highways break many conventions and rules that govern how official Interstate highways (as defined by the federal DOT) should be built.
          And the biggest oddity of them all? None go to another state or even another county!
          I'm still here. Are you?

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          • #6
            Re: H-1 Lunalilo Street Ramp Trial

            The funny thing is, H-1, H-2, H-3 and H-201 are not the only federal Interstate Highways that don't cross state or county lines. Quite a few stay in one state, in fact.

            The next chance you have some time to get lost in the web, check out various "road geek" websites, like RoadVia.com or Kurumi.com, where you can learn more than you ever wanted to know about highways, interstate numbers, interchanges, and more. And don't miss Oscar Voss' mind-bogglingly thorough Hawaii Highways site, which is dedicated entirely to roads in the islands.

            Every road has a story, and there's more transportation trivia out there than you can shake a stick at. For example, here's a page on H-201, Hawaii's "secret Interstate."

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            • #7
              Re: H-1 Lunalilo Street Ramp Trial

              Originally posted by mel
              And the biggest oddity of them all? None go to another state or even another county!
              I'm beginning to wonder if H-1 or maybe H-2 cross congress districts?

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              • #8
                Re: H-1 Lunalilo Street Ramp Trial

                I believe H1 crosses since the 1st congressional district ends somewhere around the fringes of Pearl City or maybe Waipahu. Onward to Kapolei you are in the 2nd congressional.
                I'm still here. Are you?

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                • #9
                  Re: H-1 Lunalilo Street Ramp Trial

                  If Waipahu is in the 1st congressional district then H-2 crosses districts as well since H-2 starts around Waipahu.

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