Three raised crosswalks to be built on Kūhiō Highway in Hanalei Sunday Night, July 5

LĪHUʻE, Hawaiʻi - The Hawaiʻi Department of Transportation(HDOT) will be building three raised crosswalks on Kūhiō Highway in Hanalei on Sunday, July 5 from 8 p.m. to 5 a.m. Monday, July 6. This will require a single lane closure on either side of the highway. Alternating traffic will be routed through the open lane.

The raised crosswalks will be installed fronting Hanalei Elementary School, Waioli Church, and near Mālolo Road. Each of the raised crosswalks will be paired with Rectangular Rapid Flashing Beacons (RRFBs) with additional lighting to illuminate the crosswalk. The RRFBs are pedestrian activated and generate a flashing light to alert motorists that someone is waiting to cross.

The Hanalei School and Waioli Church crossings currently have RRFBs installed and these will remain in place as the crossing is converted to a raised crosswalk. The RRFB for the raised crosswalk near Mālolo Road will be installed when the unit arrives on island.

HDOT initially proposed multiple vertical deflections like, speed humps and raised crosswalks as a traffic-calming strategy for Kūhiō Highway in Hanalei as part of a community meeting on June 8, 2022. Based on the community feedback, HDOT reduced the total number of vertical deflections from eight to five (including these new locations). Community feedback was that pedestrian activity near the shopping centers tend to keep speeds in that section lower, but once drivers pass the park, speeds tend to rise. Installing these raised crosswalks will physically remind drivers to maintain the 25-mph speed limit through Hanalei town.

For a list of scheduled weekly lane closures, visit our website at https://hidot.hawaii.gov/highways/roadwork/kauai/

# # #

Media contact:

HDOT Public Affairs Office

Phone: 808-587-2160

Email: [email protected]