City Addressing Rail-related Traffic Snarls
Talking Story…Sen. Mike Gabbard
Dear Friends,
I hope you and your ohana are doing well. Here are a few things I’d like to share with you. Please contact me at 586-6830 or sengabbard@capitol.hawaii. gov if I can help you or your family in any way.
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State Sen. Mike Gabbard (left) presented a certificate from the state Senate to U.S. Social Security district manager Samiah Omari (center) and assistant district manager Anthony Tarrant at the grand opening of the U.S. Social Security Administration office in Kapolei. Photo from Sen. Gabbard.
Farrington Highway Closure
I was happy to see that construction for the rail project was restarted Sept. 16. As a result, Farrington Highway from Kualaka’i Parkway to Kahi Mohala was closed so that Honolulu Authority for Rapid Transportation (HART) could relocate a major water line and do column work.
I received a lot of feedback from the community on how this greatly increased traffic on H-1. City Councilwoman Kymberly Pine, Rep. Sharon Har and I have been working on a solution to this traffic problem.
The city has modified the signalization at the Kuala-ka’i/Farrington intersection to improve traffic flow getting on H-1. And Oct. 27 there will be a second left-hand lane added to allow drivers to turn left at that intersection to get on H-1.
We got word from HART Sept. 30 that it reopened one lane of Farrington Highway in the eastbound direction to reduce the traffic. The road will stay open until its column work begins closer to the end of the year.
Kalaeloa Arson/ White Plains Beach Beautification
I made a presentation Sept. 19 at the Kalaeloa Public Safety (KPS) Team meeting, which brought together law enforcement agencies to work on safety issues in Kalaeloa.
You might have heard there’s been a rash of arson in Kalaeloa. Honolulu Fire Department is investigating two recent fire incidents.
Hunt Development and Carmel Partners have increased their private security patrols to deal with the issue. Hawaii Community Development Authority, the agency that has jurisdiction over the Kalaeloa community, has started a new working group to address the issue.
On a more positive note, at that same meeting, Victor Flint of Naval Facilities announced that the Navy is working with Haseko to remove the ugly fencing that juts out into the ocean at White Plains Beach Park.
New Social Security Administration Office Welcome Addition to Kapolei
I presented an honorary certificate from the state Legislature to U.S. Social Security Administration district manager Samiah Omari and assistant district manager Anthony Tarrant at the Sept. 4 grand opening of the new Social Security office in Kapolei. The office is located at the corner of Manawai and Ala Kahawai streets in the heart of our community adjacent to Kapolei Regional Park and Kapolei Public Library, and next to Cole Academy.
The stand-alone, state-of-the-art facility has 13,500 square feet of interior space and its own parking lot. The building was constructed by Avalon Development Company, and the office is open weekdays from 8:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m.
“Listen-Story” Meeting
My next “Listen-Story” meeting will be held at 9 a.m. Oct. 26 at the Ewa Mahiko District Park meeting room, 91-1161 Renton Road.
