Kakaako shoppers, businesses grapple with traffic ‘madness’ as road repairs continue

HONOLULU (HawaiiNewsNow) - Businesses and consumers say the city’s sinkhole repairs in Kakaako and other road repair projects are turning the area into a hard-to-navigate maze.

“No matter where you go ... you’re gonna run into some sort of traffic and, and especially during the daytime some sort of you got to detour around here, make a left down there, then back and back,” said Pepper Lamb, co-owner of Stand Up Honolulu.

“It’s crazy, it’s madness.”

Mike Harada, who was shopping in Kakaako, said the roadwork added unanticipated hassles and delays.

“I went to Office Max first and I went to get some sake bottles over here and I got blocked off three different ways,” the Waialae Iki resident said.

“I had to go all the way down (around) on the Queen Street to get over here.”

Nadine Leong, owner the Sake Shop on Cooke Street, said sales are down since the city closed the nearby street for repairs.

“We are doing less per month than we were doing last year. So that’s a big deal for us. It was not going in that trajectory prior to the closure. We were actually doing a much better,” she said.

The city closed the section of Halekauwila Street near Cooke Street back in October due to the sinkhole repairs. But that came as the city was doing additional road work throughout Kakaako.

The city said members of its Economic Revitalization team have gone to dozens of businesses in the area to see what kind of support it can provide. The city also says it put them in touch with partners who provide microloans and other services.

“The road repaving has been going on for a few months. But on top of it, here comes a sinkhole and we need to be doing both projects at the same time, much to the chagrin of the area businesses,” said City Councilmember Tyler Dos Santos-Tam.

“But it has to be done.”

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