CINDY ELLEN RUSSELL / CRUSSELL@STARBULLETIN.COM Mayor Mufi Hannemann unveiled yesterday a new Web site, DriveAkamai.org, and a telephone hot line with information about road construction projects taking place around in Honolulu. Following the press conference, he shook hands with Bryson Rasmussen. CLICK FOR LARGE

Web site, hot line tell drivers of delays in city

In central Honolulu, motorists can lean of road construction via www.driveakamai.org

The city is trying something new for motorists steamed at getting stuck in traffic because of roadwork in central Honolulu: a Web site and telephone hot line.

The Web site at www.driveakamai.org displays a map of the area makai of the H-1 freeway between Liliha Street and Kapahulu Avenue. Browsers will be able to zoom in on the map and find out whether there are any road or lane closures on particular streets, the hours of the closures, the construction projects causing them and the type of work that is being done.

Honolulu Mayor Mufi Hannemann said the aim of Drive Akamai is to give motorists an opportunity to avoid traffic congestion.

"Hopefully, we will minimize the disruption in people's lives and the businesses there so that they can proactively plan and know when roadwork is going to be occurring," Hannemann said.

The city contractor for the project, Austin, Tsutsumi & Associates, will update the Web site and hot line daily based on information provided by city agencies involved in the scheduling, planning and approval of construction work that can affect street traffic, including the Environmental Services and Transportation Services departments and the Honolulu Board of Water Supply.

The information will help the city plan when construction will be allowed on particular streets. And Hannemann hopes it will also make clear to people why some streets seem to be constantly under construction.

The city has approached public utility companies and the state Department of Transportation to include information on their projects on the Web site and hot line.

"We're going to work with the city and send over our work schedules," said Scott Ishikawa, state transportation spokesman. "The more information for the driver, the better, since not many drivers can tell the difference between state and city roads."

The city hopes to expand the project to accept telephone and e-mail messages, make the Web site more interactive and apply it to other parts of the island.

The city is paying the contractor $400,000 to operate the Web site and hot line for the first year of the project.