February 2014 Section Meeting

On Wednesday, February 26, 2014, the featured speaker was Randolph Sykes from the Oahu Metropolitan Planning Organization. Sykes presented a PowerPoint presentation of the “Final Alternative Scenarios Summary Report, Oahu Regional Transportation Plan 2035 Project,” prepared by Parsons Brinckerhoff. He explained that the Consultants forecasting model results found increasing interstate H-1 by four lanes in each direction would bring it up to Level of Service D. However, the study also indicated that the more capacity that’s provided the more people are going to want to use it, and we’ll have to continue to build out. A Managed Lane scenario was looked at, in which High-Occupancy Toll lanes on the H-1 would be free for vehicles with three or more persons while vehicles with less persons would be charged a fee. The presentation also included Cordon Pricing Scenario, charging a fee for vehicles entering the downtown Honolulu area, bounded by River Street, Nimtiz Highway/Ala Moana Boulevard, South/Alapai Streets, and Vineyard Boulevard. The full report can be found on the www.oahumpo.org website.