Honolulu traffic ranked third worst in nation

HONOLULU (HawaiiNewsNow) - It's the daily dance to get to work or school, then get home. The bumper-to-bumper grind that's Oahu's traffic jam adds up to a big slice of your life.

"It's very discouraging," State Transportation Director Ford Fuchigami said.

It's especially discouraging the annual Tomtom Traffic Index ranks Honolulu as the third worst U.S. city for traffic congestion. Drivers average 88 hours a year spinning their wheels very slowly.

"We need go ahead and figure out a way to basically try to alleviate that," Fuchigami said.

Fuchigami reiterated his department's desire to increase vehicle capacity. Heading West that means putting in a shoulder lane from Aiea through Pearl City and another lane from Pearl City to Waikele. East bound, it's utilizing the shoulder lane after the H1/H2 merge as more than a limited hours lane.

"We'd like to see whether or not we can go ahead and expand that so so that we can have a sixth lane coming into town." he said.

During rush hour, City Transportation director Michael Formby said traffic crews monitor traffic lights and adjust them according to congestion. We asked about adding contra-flow lanes in a pinch.

"When we get significant congestion we always consider contra-flow as an option and an alternative. but there are many times that it simply doesn't work on a road way." Formby ssaid.

"He directs motorists to the web site GoAkamai.org. It can be downloaded to your smart phone.

"It allows you to really plan your routes so you know what to expect, so you're not surprised when you get onto a highway and find that it's backed up for 45 minutes," Formby said.

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