This is one of those articles that you read in December and think to yourself, "hmmm... bummer" and forget until it happens. Then, in June you lament daily when it happens and mark the calendar with a big red circle on the day it will be over.
Apparently, the interstate that connects Ewa (pronounced eva) Beach and Kapolei is going to be completely closed on June 9th, 2008 for about 6 months. This will effect about 100,000 cars a day, rerouting them on a bypass while and old bridge is removed and a new one built to allow the construction of the new North-South road, which is planned on being completed in 2009. Drivers on the three lanes heading in each direction will be diverted to three newly built lanes along each side of the freeway for 4,500 feet and then get back on the freeway. Sounds simple enough.
Here is the exercise. "The best attitude is gratitude."
I don't spend a lot of time each day being grateful for the roads and hiways. Maybe I should. If you take the time as you're driving and imagine all of the energy that has been spent to build this incredible network of roads, bridges, etc. that we are so fortunate to have at our disposal, it is an amazing feat. Instead of stressing out when the traffic slows, what if we all took the opportunity to be grateful for what we had. I hope you understand that this blog is a form of therapy for me and hopefully I'll remember my words in June and July.
Road closures like this are even more dramatic on our gorgeous Islands. Bordered by the coast and mountains, most of the Island arteries are the only games in town when it comes to circumnavigating the islands. H-1 isn't one of several ways to the Leeward coast from Honolulu after Ewa Beach. It is THE way.
When it is all said and done though, we will be well on our way to an expanded network of access and exits. It will take pressure off of Fort Weaver and Fort Barrette roads. The hope is that it will also ease the bottlenecks at the Kunia-Ewa and the Makakilo-Kapolei interchanges.
It's going to come and there is just no fighting it. As the serenity prayers says, "Grant me the serenity to change the things I can, to accept the things I can't and the wisdom to know the difference."
Ommmmmmmmmmmmmmmm.
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