Waikiki upgrade
may pivot on
demo project

Council OKs it,
but critics of narrowing
Kalakaua are numerous

By Gordon Y.K. Pang
Star-Bulletin

Mayor Jeremy Harris' plan to spruce up Kuhio Beach in Waikiki has been approved by the City Council, but continues to draw criticism from residents and transportation industry officials.

The $13.5 million plan calls forconstruction of a larger police substation and beach facilities to form a new promenade.

It also involves increasing the amount of sand and sidewalk along the makai side of Kalakaua Avenue, at the expense of one of the road's four lanes between Kaiulani and Kapahulu avenues.

"There's no way three lanes is going to handle all that traffic," said Waikiki resident Don Steiner.

Dale Evans, president of Charley's Tours and Taxi, said her greatest worry is how the reduction in lanes -- along the Diamond Head end of Kalakaua Avenue -- will affect the Ewa end of the street between the Hawai'i Convention Center and Kaiulani Avenue.

It is the Ewa end that already has the bottlenecks and would be most adversely affected, she said.

"This is a good example of government squandering taxpayer dollars," Evans said.

Waikiki resident Richard Will described the plan as "uncalled for, extravagant and wasteful."

"What good is a promenade in Waikiki if people cannot drive or park there?" he asked.

The opponents got support yesterday from Council members Donna Mercado Kim and John DeSoto, who voted against approval pending the results from city officials of a three- to four-week demonstration project this summer that will simulate the lane reduction.

"They should have done the (demonstration) project before they came in for a final vote," Kimsaid.

Ben Lee, Harris' chief of staff, said funding for the project in next year's budget would be lost if the plan was not approved yesterday.

Lee said traffic will increase along the affected portion of Kalakaua, but that delays would be minor during peak afternoon traffic hours.

"It will have some impact, but not significant enough an impact to create any kind of traffic problem," he said.

Lee also assured the Council that the administration still needs a special management area permit before construction can begin. That allows Council members to monitor the demonstration project to see if they want to still endorse the improvements.

"There's plenty of opportunity for the Council to stop the project," Lee said.

DeSoto remained skeptical.

"I just don't trust them," he said.