THE SENATE                           S.R. NO.              61
TWENTIETH LEGISLATURE, 2000                                
STATE OF HAWAII                                            
                                                             
________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________


                    SENATE  RESOLUTION

  REQUESTING THE DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION TO EXPAND THE
    CAPACITY OF THE CENTRAL H-1 FREEWAY CORRIDOR.


 1        WHEREAS, traffic congestion has reached nearly crisis
 2   proportions, costing Oahu commuters an estimated $510 per year
 3   each in additional costs; and
 4   
 5        WHEREAS, it seems well established that the most effective
 6   means of reducing traffic congestion without seriously
 7   increasing automobile passenger trips is to increase roadway
 8   capacity; and
 9   
10        WHEREAS, High-Occupancy Vehicle (HOV) lanes are quite well
11   proven to carry more people with less congestion; and
12   
13        WHEREAS, the State Department of Transportation wishes to
14   increase the capacity of the central H-1 freeway corridor (from
15   the "Middle Street Merge" to the Punahou or Kapiolani offramp)
16   in order to address this problem, and in fact has studied its
17   possible expansion in a formal 1988 study and a less formal
18   1992 study; and
19   
20        WHEREAS, the Department of Transportation is to be
21   commended for and encouraged in its efforts to expand capacity
22   on this corridor; now, therefore,
23   
24        BE IT RESOLVED by the Senate of the Twentieth Legislature
25   of the State of Hawaii, Regular Session of 2000, that the
26   Department of Transportation is requested to expend additional
27   efforts attempting to achieve additional capacity on this
28   corridor including, but not limited to:
29   
30        (1)  Exploring additional tradeoffs with the Federal
31             Highway Administration that could induce relaxation
32             of standards to the extent necessary to allow a
33             "shoulder lane" for peak-hour travel, such as exists
34             on the H-1 near Ewa of the Aiea exit, Diamond Head-
35             bound (thereby also making room for an HOV lane in
36             this corridor);
37   
38        (2)  Identifying specific recommendations from the City's
39             Waikiki Regional Traffic Impact Plan, Dec. 1995, the
40             state Department of Transportation's Investigation of

 
Page 2                                                     
                                  S.R. NO.              61
                                                        
                                                        


 1             the Effects of Limited Ramp Closures Along the H-1
 2             Freeway, Dec. 1999, and other pertinent analyses of
 3             the best means of reducing traffic congestion
 4             generated by increased Waikiki/Ala Moana traffic; and
 5   
 6        (3)  Working more closely in formal workshops, to be
 7             scheduled in 2000, with private citizens and
 8             interested groups to consider a larger universe of
 9             options than perhaps would normally be generated
10             within the department;
11   
12   and
13   
14        BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Department of
15   Transportation is requested to report its findings and
16   recommendations to the Legislature no later than twenty days
17   prior to the convening of the 2001 Regular Session; and
18   
19        BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that a certified copy of this
20   Resolution be transmitted to the Director of Transportation.
21 
22 
23 
24                         OFFERED BY:  ____________________________