It’s been 10 days since a portion of the touristy Ali‘i Drive in downtown Kona-Kailua was converted into a one-way street traveling southbound as part of a 90-day trial to create 46 free parking stalls.
So far, the new traffic pattern has led to more than 30 calls to Hawai‘i County, with most of the callers complaining about the increased traffic congestion, particularly at the Hualālai Road and Kuakini Highway intersection, according to Tom Callis, spokesperson for the mayor’s office.
This intersection, where the biggest bottleneck is occurring, is the first spot where motorists traveling south on the oceanfront road can get back onto Kuakini Highway, which runs parallel to Ali‘i Drive.
Mayor Kimo Alameda said he heard from some residents claiming they were at least an hour late to work…