The state Department of Transportation plans to install two traffic cameras each at Nanakuli and Haleakala avenues on Farrington Highway within the next six months, said Ed Sniffen, the department’s deputy director for the Highways Division. The cameras, one in each direction, will be installed to coincide with a project to add an additional turn lane and to adjust the traffic lights in the area.
Once the cameras are working, residents will be able to view road conditions on the GoAkamai application, which provides images from more than 200 cameras islandwide. But Sniffen said DOT would need funding to install more cameras on the Waianae Coast.
City Councilwoman Kymberly Pine, whose district spans Ewa Beach to Waianae, said traffic cameras would be part of the solution to the “traffic crisis” on Farrington Highway. She said she hopes the cameras will be up and working next year.
“It’s not a small thing,” Pine said. “These cameras will greatly improve the quality of life of Waianae residents because they will be better able to plan their day and ride out of Waianae and into Waianae. It also leads to faster response times from traffic management.”
Ken Koike, a member of the Waianae Coast Neighborhood Board, said the community welcomes any solutions to help relieve congestion, including traffic cameras and traffic light synchronization.
“When it comes to those traffic cameras, that’s entirely a service to the public,” Koike said. “We appreciate greatly that our city (and) county and state officials are trying their best to accommodate our situation. Unfortunately, it isn’t enough. We are grasping at straws right now.”
