Overview:
Ala Moana and Kakaako are a pair of neighborhoods located in urban Honolulu along the ocean that together form a single neighborhood board district. While the area features a number of homes and apartment buildings, it is perhaps best known as the home of Ala Moana Beach Park and Ala Moana Shopping Center. On the Ala Moana side, because of its proximity to Waikiki, the area has a high number of pedestrians, bikes, and buses traveling through it. Closer to Kakaako, the area becomes more industrial, with fewer pedestrians and more heavy vehicles. While there is a network of bike paths in Ala Moana Park, there is little bike infrastructure elsewhere in the Kakaako and Ala Moana area.
What the Oahu Bike Plan calls for:
The Oahu Bike Plan calls for bikeways to be added to most of the major streets in the area. With the rail planned to cut down the middle of these neighborhoods, adding bikeways to the area will increase the viability of rail as a transport option. The plan for Ala Moana/Kakaako has several parts. A bike lane would be added to Ala Moana Boulevard, providing connectivity to Waikiki and the bike lanes on Nimitz Highway. The existing paths in Ala Moana Beach Park would be extended, connecting to other existing paths along the Ala Wai and expanding towards Aloha Tower. A number of bike routes and bike lanes would be created in the mauka-makai direction, connecting the area with the planned bikeways on Beretania, Young, and King Streets. The Oahu Bike Plan designates the majority of the projects in the Ala Moana/Kakaako area as priority two or three (medium or low priority).
Projects:
- Ala Moana Beach Park Path Extension, Connect existing mauka and makai bike paths and extend path to Kewalo Basin, Path
- Ala Moana Boulevard Path, Atkinson Drive to Ala Wai Canal, Path
- Ala Moana Boulevard, Kalakaua Avenue to Fort Street Mall, Lane
- Auahi Street, Ala Moana Boulevard to South Street, Route
- Cooke Street, Ilalo Street to South King Street, Lane
- Halekauwila Street, Ala Moana Boulevard to Ward Avenue, Route
- Ilalo Street, Keawe Street to Ahui Street, Route
- Kalakaua Avenue, Beretania Street to Ala Moana Boulevard, Route
- Kamakee Street, Ala Moana boulevard to McKinley HS, Lane
- Keeaumoku Street, Kapiolani Boulevard to Nehoa Street, Route
- Pensacola Street, Waimanu Street to Wilder Avenue, Route
- Piikoi Street, Ala Moana Boulevard to Wilder Avenue, Route
- Queen Street, Fort Street Mall Path to Piikoi Street, Route
- South Street, Ala Moana Boulevard to Beretania Street, Route
- Waterfront Park, UH Medical School to Ala Moana Beach Park Path, Path
- Ward Avenue, Ala Moana Boulevard to Prospect Street, Route
What’s being done:
The Department of Transportation Services is considering placing bike lanes on Cooke Street, though plans are still tentative. Outside of Cooke Street, there are no plans to add bike infrastructure to the Ala Moana/Kakaako area.
