Traffic on the Leeward Coast has long been an issue for its residents.

With only one way in and out, weekday traffic backs up from Kapolei to as far as Mohihi Street in Waianae, causing motorists to often endure hours of stop-and-go congestion.

It’s gotten so bad that sometimes commuters pull over to the shoulder of the Farrington Highway and talk with each other, waiting for the rush to subside.

Some help may be on the way. Several projects — planned or proposed — aim to lessen the congestion in West Oahu.

They include:

• A contraflow project along a 1.3-mile stretch from Piliokahi Avenue past Helelua Street that would turn one of the Honolulu-bound lanes into a third westbound lane from 3 to 7 p.m. on weekdays, excluding holidays. This could be done this summer, before the next school year begins.

• Widening of Farrington Highway along a 0.4-mile stretch from Nanakuli Avenue to Haleakala Avenue in Waianae to include a center turn lane. This could be completed in April 2017.

• A longer-term proposal that is part of the Oahu Regional Transportation Plan 2040 involves widening Farrington Highway to six lanes along a 9.6-mile stretch from Hakimo Road to Kalaeloa Boulevard.

• Someday creating a second access road over the mountains to Waianae.

Hawaii Department of Transportation officials will be attending neighborhood board meetings, including one on Tuesday, to talk to residents about the contraflow project and give them an opportunity to voice their concerns or ask questions.

Leeward Traffic Projects

The DOT announced Feb. 26 that it would begin the contraflow lane pilot project later this year.

“I think it will make a big difference because it hits the really most congested part of the Nanakuli bottleneck, going from Piliokahi Avenue to Helelua Street,” said state Sen. Maile Shimabukuro, who represents the Waianae Coast. “And so taking that bottleneck and adding an extra lane, you know, that’s something people have been begging for.”

Cones and signs would be used to convert one of the two Honolulu-bound lanes into a third westbound lane during the afternoon/evening commute .

Meanwhile, the Farrington Highway Intersection Improvement Project began in 2014 with the goal of widening the coast’s current four-lane highway between Nanakuli Avenue and Haleakala Avenue to include a 10-foot-wide auxiliary lane to allow vehicles to make left turns.

“Missed appointments, missed flights, missed weddings. I don’t know. At the end of the day I can only say sorry to the constituents so much.” — Rep. Andria Tupola

Currently construction is being done behind the concrete barriers alongside Farrington Highway and nighttime construction is being done to install a sewer line.

The project was originally estimated to be completed in May 2016 but that has been pushed back to April 2017 due to underground utility lines that were discovered during construction, according to state Rep. Andria Tupola.

DOT says the new lane will lessen congestion at all times, but especially during morning hours when vehicles are frequently turning left into Nanakuli Elementary School, Nanakuli High and Intermediate School, Nanaikapono Elementary School and Ka Waihona O Ka Naauao Public Charter School.

Along with the widening of the highway, there are also plans to create an 8-foot-wide pedestrian and bicycle lane, relocate utilities and upgrade traffic signals, street lighting and drainage systems.

“We can manage narrow roads by at least taking the left turns and separating them, putting them in the middle so that the through traffic doesn’t get stuck behind it for a long time,” said Panos Prevedouros, chair of the Civil and Environmental Engineering Department at the University of Hawaii Manoa.

Another plan also proposes widening Farrington Highway from Hakimo Road to Kalaeloa Boulevard from four to six lanes.

With an estimated cost of $233.1 million, the funding for this project is uncertain, according to Brian Gibson, executive director of the Oahu Metropolitan Planning Organization.

The project is listed under the long-term plans for 2030 to 2040.

Shimabukuro said that she supports the project, although it would mean the loss of some of the beach area along the stretch.

“I think people would agree that the sacrifice is worth the benefit,” said Shimabukuro.

In a Nanakuli-Maili Neighborhood board meeting in January, members unanimously voted to urge the Oahu Metropolitan Planning Organization Project Policy Board to get the project done quicker.

The OahuMPO is responsible for coordinating the transportation planning for the entire island.

Tupola said that although it is good to plan ahead, the plan should have been put into effect years ago so the work would get done sooner.

She said that OahuMPO projects are run by “city guys.”

“There’s nothing in that OMPO committee that forces them to be accountable to execute something by X date,” said Tupola. “That doesn’t exist.””

Gibson said numerous factors determine how a project is prioritized, with the biggest factor being “where they are in project development.”

Gibson also said officials consider congestion analysis and traffic data.

“I can’t stand here and guarantee that it will happen,” said Gibson. “Would a significant number of comments illustrate to the policy board the support that the community has for those projects? Probably.”

Why Is Traffic So Bad?

Tupola said that poor planning, poor communication, overpopulation and lack of an alternative access route to the Waianae Coast have all contributed to the increasingly bad traffic.

She noted a Feb. 13 incident when DOT failed to notify residents of a lane closure, causing severe congestion from Maili to Nanakuli along a stretch that should take about five minutes to traverse.

On its website, DOT acknowledged the mistake, saying it would be sure to notify residents in the future.

“I just really think that lack of communication takes on a whole new level when you’re putting people in hard conditions that are going to the doctor that is just down the street,” Tupola said. “You know, people just going from Paakea (Road) going over to Nanaikeola (the Kaiser Permante clinic) didn’t make it.”

Tupola said residents were late for doctors’ appointments, and a groom was late for his wedding.

“Missed appointments, missed flights, missed weddings. I don’t know. At the end of the day I can only say sorry to the constituents so much because of (DOT’s) lack of communication,” said Tupola.

Neighborhood board meetings are scheduled this month and next:

• Tuesday,  Nanakuli-Maili Neighborhood Board, Nanaikapono Elementary School cafeteria, 7 p.m.

• April 5, Waianae Neighborhood Board, Waianae District Park multi-purpose room, 7 p.m.