ʻAiea, Pearl City, and Waipahu
Project Overview
The City and County of Honolulu has several ongoing Complete Street improvements in the works for the ʻAiea, Pearl City, and Waipahu neighborhoods. Upcoming roadway safety improvements for the Pearl City neighborhood include protected bikeways, pedestrian crossing improvements, and traffic calming along Waimano Home Road, Hoʻolauleʻa, and Hoʻomalu Streets. Other smaller projects include future signal and interim gateway treatments at Moanalua Road and Ualo Street and pedestrian crossing improvements at Moanalua Road and Nalopaka Place in ʻAiea. These projects will contribute to creating a network of streets that are safe and convenient for all people, whether they are traveling by food, bicycle, transit, or ride-share, and regardless of age or ability.
The Opportunity
ʻAiea, Pearl City, and Waipahu are vibrant and dense neighborhoods – home to thousands of residents, businesses, restaurants, and major community destinations. These communities have some of Oʻahu’s highest transit ridership rates and are adjacent to multiple rail stations. However, ʻAiea, Pearl City, and Waipahu streets in many ways prioritize motorists, leaving a strong need for improved pedestrian, bicycle, and transit facilities and safety.
The City is improving roadways in the ʻAiea, Pearl City, and Waipahu neighborhoods with the aim of increasing safety and mobility for all roadway users. Complete Streets are:
- Safe and convenient for people of all ages and abilities
- Accommodating to all modes, including foot, bicycle, transit, and automobile
- Integrated with the community’s vision and sense of place
- Supportive of community health and transportation equity
Upcoming Projects
Waipahu
Māhoe Street
This project will address safety for people traveling to and from August Ahrens Elementary School with improvements such as sidewalks, curb ramps, bulb‐outs, and raised crosswalks. Traffic circles were considered but deemed infeasible due to roadway constraints. The 90% design phase for Māhoe Street (Waipahu Street to Halelehua Street) improvements was completed in Fiscal Year 2023-2024, and the project is expected to be bid for construction in Fiscal Year 2024-2025.
Waipiʻo Point Access Road
This community-initiated project will upgrade Waipiʻo Point Access Road from Farrington Highway, along Waipahu High School, to the Waipahu Aloha Clubhouse. The lack of pedestrian and cyclist infrastructure presents accessibility challenges for the vulnerable populations that frequent this area. Overgrown vegetation, abandoned vehicles, and a lack of drainage also detract from their experience. Improvements in the works include a new multi-use path on the high-school side of the street, a raised crossing near Farrington Highway, new street trees, and low-impact drainage infrastructure. The project is being designed by a team led by the SHADE Institute. It is anticipated that the project will be advertised for construction in Spring 2024.
Waipahu Depot Street
The Department of Transportation Services began a new federal‐aid project in FY22 to improve biking and walking conditions along Waipahu Depot Street between the Hikimoe Street Bus Transit Center and the Pearl Harbor Bike Path. Improvements under consideration include widened and protected shoulders for non‐vehicular travel. This project will help to implement the Oʻahu Bike Plan, Oʻahu Pedestrian Plan, and the Waipahu Transit‐Oriented Development Action Plan. In FY23 the project began the final design phase.
Walkway Improvements
The City and County of Honolulu has roughly 900 miles of missing walkways along our local roadways, and building them is a complex and costly endeavor. The new Oʻahu Pedestrian Plan prioritizes our missing walkways based on an analysis that considers factors such as bus routes, proximity to schools, and crash history. Moving forward, pending the availability of funds, the City’s Complete Streets program will explore opportunities to construct walkways along these priority segments, either as stand-alone improvements or part of a periodic roadway and pavement rehabilitation project.
Locations identified for safety improvements:
- Waipahu Street (Leowahine Street to Waikele Road)
- Honowai Street (Waipahu Street to Hōʻaeʻae Street)
Managers Drive and Hiapo Street Roundabout
In November 2019, a pilot roundabout was installed at the intersection of Managers Drive and Hiapo Street in the Waipahu neighborhood. The installation used delineators and pavement markings to construct the roundabout, which replaced a two‐way stop‐controlled intersection. In FY23, the Department of Transportation Services procured a design services contract to make the roundabout permanent and concrete. Federal financial participation is being requested to cover project engineering and construction costs.
Pearl City
Waimano Home Road/Hoʻolauleʻa Street and Hoʻomalu Streets
Complete Streets plans have been prepared for portions of Waimano Home Road, Hoʻolauleʻa, and Hoʻomalu Streets. The plans recommended safety improvements for pedestrians, bicyclists, transit riders, and drivers. A primary focus is helping pedestrians safely cross Waimano Home Road.
We are moving ahead with stand-alone projects to improve pedestrian conditions at the following Waimano Home Road intersections: Hoʻomalu Street (makai) and Moanalua Road/Kuala Street. Additionally, proposed improvements on Waimano Home Road between Komo Mai Drive and Moanalua Road will be provided in conjunction with an upcoming roadway repaving/rehabilitation project
Plans
Click thumbnail to view plans.
Community Meetings
- Recorded Presentation (10/2018)
- Presentation Slides
- Concept Plans (10/2018)
- Roadway Sections V.2 (07/2018)
Interactive Map
Click on the interactive map to view community comments about issues residents encountered, or ideas community members have to make the area safer and more accessible for all.
