Action Alert – Join March 28th Thursday 6:00pm at the Waikiki Community Center for an important community meeting on the Alapono project (Ala Wai bike/pedestrian bridge). We need your support to make sure the bridge keeps moving forward!
Connecting Our Neighborhoods
Ala Wai Bike/Pedestrian Bridge (Ala Pono)
3/28 6pm at Waikiki Community Center
The City is the (long) planning process towards building a bicycle and pedestrian bridge over the Ala Wai Canal linking Waikiki and the neighborhoods just mauka (the formal project name is the Ala Wai Canal Bridge Alternatives Analysis – Ala Pono). The bridge has the opportunity to create a much needed safe and protected bicycling and walking connection that will also make trips shorter – leading to more biking and walking. Many of you have already come out to the project’s kick off meetings in September 2018, we need your continued support to make this important project a reality – join 3/28 Thursday 6:00pm at Waikiki Community Center (310 Paoakalani Ave). Read on for more details.
Ala Wai bridge – what’s being considered
The City Department of Transportation Services has begun the Ala Wai Canal Bridge Alternatives Analysis (link to project website) for a bicycle and pedestrian bridge over the Ala Wai Canal somewhere between Ala Moana Blvd and the Manoa/Palolo Stream.
Ala Wai bridge – why it’s important
Waikiki isn’t just Hawaii’s tourism hub, it’s also one of Hawaii’s largest employment centers and home to some 32,000 residents. Creating safer, more direct walking and biking connection between Waikiki and mauka neighborhoods (McCully/Moiliili, Manoa, Makiki) will have a giant impact in making biking and walking a real transportation option for the thousands of work, school, shopping, and other trips between these neighborhoods. Only one of the existing three bridges into Waikiki (McCully St bridge) has bike lanes and all three bridges have high records of bike and pedestrian crashes and injuries (the data provided by the City shows that between 2012-2016 there were 17 bicycle and pedestrian injuries on these bridges). Creating a bicycle and pedestrian bridge would have the highest level of safety for walking and biking. In addition to safety, a bridge can dramatically reduce travel distances – for example, a bridge at University Ave would reduce the travel distance between central Waikiki and UH Manoa by nearly one-mile making people far more likely to bike.
Ala Wai bridge – what you can do to support
We need you come out to support 3/28 Thursday 6pm at Waikiki Community Center (310 Paoakalani Ave).
Next, click here to get on our Bike Advocates email list. There will be more public meetings and need for support! But with determined and organized support, we can make sure the bridge happens!
Previous posts
In September and October 2018, the City officially kicked off the Ala Wai Canal Bridge Alternatives Analysis with a first round of public meetings and an online survey.
In October and November 2017, this project went before the McCully/Moiliili and Waikiki Neighborhood Board.
Thank you to everyone that came out for those important meetings – your involvement and support helped push this forward. Things are headed in the right direction. Please stay involved as we’re going to need a LOT of support along the way!
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