Editor Gregory Field asked residents of Waimanalo for their opinions.
Keneke Ward: Two more lanes will put traffic through faster, less opportunity for them to stop. Now you have one lane to cross if you're going the other way. With a four lane highway you'll have two. Cars are going fast enough with two lanes. This guy riding his horse--he won't be doing that. It'll hurt my business. Whenever you build infrastructure development happens. As far as traffic flow it's a plus, but Waimanalo will lose its country atmosphere.
Herman Kaopua: Instead of make four lanes make a middle lane for turns. So people make turn can just jump in the middle and traffic still going.
Kathy Himan, Wendy Kalahele, Cheryl Ledford: I don't think I would want the highway widened. You don't want to widen this, that would be terrible. Bottom line: N-O. No! No! No!
Joanne Huber: One part of me doesn't want to see that happen. Two lanes keeps it country. Four lanes is a crazy freeway. We've got kids living on this highway and that's a concern. My gut feeling: I don't feel too good about it. The traffic just tends to be bad on weekends. I don't mind living with that because it keeps it country. I haven't processed it through adding up all the pros and cons.
Chauncy Kalua: That's what they told us [the Self-Help Housing residents along the highway]. To widen the highway they would take ten feet from our yards. If it do come through, it's a whole lot more cars going to come through. On Saturday and Sunday traffic is terrible. Waimanalo right now is all right. Four lanes coming through here is going to be a wreck. Too many people already.
Val Kim: I don't want it to turn into Maile and Waianae side. I like to leave Waimanalo country. I don't want a highway here on Kalanianaole.
Mailani Mook: I don't think they should. No.
Magdaline Kamakea: They should leave country as country, and not widen the road. We already have the concrete jungles in Waikiki and Honolulu. All these people [in Self-Help Housing] worked hard to build these houses. We don't need to see them torn down. They give us a community and now they want to take part of the community away. Look how many feelings going to be hurt.
Charmane Mook: I want to see this highway the way it is. Make a separate highway in Bellows. By the homestead they have space. It surely will change Waimanalo! They should keep this country. Not disturb the lifestyle of the people.
Scot Kunishige: A lot of money to spend when the state budget is in a deficit. I think they can hold off a few more years. We could use a little more stoplights. If you look at Haleiwa, Waianae, the North Shore: the traffic is much worse. Widening the highway will do more harm than good. A lot of time for construction. It'll hurt the businesses in Waimanalo. A lot of businesses are struggling right now just to survive. Waimanalo is still what's left of the country. That's a lot to take away from Waimanalo. It'll really kill Waimanalo.
Anonymous: Tell `em to stuff it! What are they going to do with people who already have homes? They should use that money and put it in a different direction.
Anonymous: People just whizzing by. With four lanes, people are never going to stop by. Not enough people stop by for shop.
Anonymous: I don't care too much for it.
Clyde Akita: I think it would be nice to have them divert some of the traffic. I wouldn't agree to four lanes. They'd be speeding through town rather than plugged up like this. If that's the alternative, then I prefer what we have.
Anonymous: I rather they not go four lanes. If they go four lanes we'll lose this property. I rather they do nothing. Four lanes and no more Waimanalo! We'll be a big town. Look at what they did to Haleiwa. I think they should leave it country. Leave it just the way it is.
Dave Larsen: No way, no how, for the widening of the road. We can take care of our own traffic problems here in Waimanalo by taking care of our neighbors, letting them in and out. Widening is only going to be for taking care of Bellows for their future plans and Bellows is not even decided on yet. I have a good suspicion--every military base has a road leading into it. Bellows Field--they have a lot more plans for it then they've ever even told us. All the people here in Waimanalo, all the lives it's going to change here. What its going to do to the people in Waimanalo? Their lives here are going to change and then the people change. And then you have new people. I worry about waiting before we do something--I'd like to see the study stopped before it happens. If they made that into a double lane people couldn't get out of their streets. And what's it going to serve? You get to the Castle Hospital intersection a little sooner and wait. I know its for Bellows! I say `No, to everything.' It's time for war!
Town Meeting
Eve Anderson is arranging a town meeting with representatives from the Department of Transportation. As of press time the meeting time and location has not been set. Look for notices around town in the event the meeting gets scheduled for July.