The timing of a new traffic signal on Highway 11 continues to be tweaked after its activation earlier this week caused delays for commuters along the highway.
The new traffic light located at the intersection of Highway 11 and Kipimana Street — the entrance to Shipman Business Park — began normal operation on Monday morning.
The activation of the light, along with rain and an accident, snarled traffic along the corridor Monday afternoon, but the congestion continued through the week.
“I’ve been concerned about the project from the beginning because of the vicinity to another major light,” Puna Councilman Matt Kanealii-Kleinfelder said Thursday.
While he understands the safety necessity, “The people who designed (this light) and proponents for it, none of them drive that area at all,” Kanealii-Kleinfelder said. “That’s the most frustrating thing.”
Kanealii-Kleinfelder said he has been monitoring social media complaints regarding the new light and received a number of phone calls and texts about it.
About 60% seem to hate the new light, while 40% love it, he said.
Because of the COVID-19 pandemic, traffic is “very mellow” due to the lack of school traffic and the number of people still working from home, Kanealii-Kleinfelder said.
“I’m interested in seeing what happens when we have real traffic and not COVID traffic and that light starts to back up everyone,” Kanealii-Kleinfelder said. “It’s going to be brutal.”
The councilman said the county Department of Public Works Traffic Control Division services all traffic lights in the county, including those on state roadways.
County Department of Public Works spokeswoman Denise Laitinen said in an email that decisions to install traffic signals on state highways are made by the state Department of Transportation.
Once the DOT decides to install a signal, DPW staff have the opportunity to review the plans to provide comments on the project.
For both state and county traffic signal projects, DPW handles the programming of the equipment that controls the traffic signals and tests the equipment before it is deployed, Laitinen said.
“Additionally, DPW’s area of responsibility includes field testing of the equipment, initial observations of the signal in operation, handling the flashing operations and conversion to normal operation, (and) making adjustments as needed,” Laitinen said. “HDOT also makes observations and works with DPW on making adjustments.”
Since the DOT and DPW share responsibilities to monitor traffic signals, Laitinen said both agencies have been monitoring and adjusting the new signal since it became operational Monday.
A DOT spokeswoman said earlier this week that after the light was activated Monday, the sensor alerting the signal to the presence of vehicles waiting on Kipimana Street was set to a default timing. That was changed Monday night to detect whether vehicles were there.
Kanealii-Kleinfelder said a test was done during off-peak hours, but it was his understanding that no one from the county was monitoring the intersection Monday night.
Laitinen, however, said DPW Traffic Division had two personnel monitoring the light on Monday.
According to Laitinen, DPW made adjustments to the traffic signal on Thursday and will continue to monitor the light and adjust as needed.
Email Stephanie Salmons at ssalmons@hawaiitribune-herald.com.