Work will begin April 26 on a $8.8 million highway project that will add a third lane to the H-1 Kinau Street offramp, allowing motorists to turn right to head downtown.
The project grew out of a 1999 agreement between the City Council and Queen's Medical Center. The hospital promised to pay for road improvements that would ease traffic congestion on Punchbowl Street, where Queen's wanted to build a five-story parking garage and entrance to its emergency room.
Les Chinen, Queen's Medical Center vice president for corporate development, said 80 percent of the improvements will be paid by the federal government with funds secured by U.S. Sen. Daniel Inouye. Queen's will pay for the rest of the improvements to one of the busiest offramps on Oahu.
Chinen said the improvements "will provide another access point to the hospital rather than just the Pali Highway and Punchbowl Street offramps."
He said construction will take a year, with no weekend or night work planned.
There will be at least one lane from the H-1 kept open throughout the construction period, which will run from 8:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. Monday through Friday.
The third right-turn lane will be built on the makai side of the Kinau offramp.
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