Zipper Lane Information

Anyone who commutes to work from central or Leeward Oahu to Honolulu during morning rush hours knows there are too few lanes on H-1 to accommodate the number of cars. However, the lanes going in the opposite direction are underutilized.

To alleviate morning traffic congestion on the H-1 Freeway between Managers Drive Overpass and the Pearl Harbor Interchange, the State Department of Transportation will implement a new type of contraflow lane in 1998. When the contraflow is in use, one lane from the outbound (westbound) direction will be made available to Honolulu-bound high occupancy vehicles.

 
This new contraflow configuration (see figure 3), called a ‘Zipper Lane' will utilize a Zipper Machine (see photo). As it travels west along the contraflow route, the Zipper Machine will move a string of connected concrete barriers from their storage area in the median to their Zipper Lane position.

 
The corridor created by the moveable barriers will provide a traffic lane and a shoulder area, where HOV vehicles can pull over without interfering with traffic in the contraflow lane. Emergency vehicles can also use the contraflow/shoulder lanes to reach their destinations in a shorter time once the Zipper Lane is established.

The Zipper Lane, for buses, vanpools, and carpools with three or more occupants, will be deployed each morning and opened at 5:30 a.m. The existing HOV lane will continue in operation for cars with two or more occupants.

When the contraflow operation ends at 8:30 a.m. the Zipper Machine will move the barriers back to their storage place along the median, returning the freeway to its normal lane configurafion.

Although new to Hawaii, contraflow systems using moveable barriers have proven successful in metropolitan areas across the nation, including Boston, Dallas, San Diego, and New York City. Each of these locations has reported improved traffic flow during rush hour and increased usage of ridesharing.

The Zipper Lane offers Hawaii a way to get much more efficient use of existing highway lanes, without the disruption and cost of a major construction project. The H-1 Zipper Lane is expected to begin operation in the fall of 1998.

How the Zipper Lane Will Benefit Leeward/Central Oahu Commuters

Because no new major highways or freeways are planned for Oahu, solving our island's traffic congestion will depend on making better use of existing highways. The implementation of the Zipper Lane will greatly increase the efficiency of the H-1 Freeway between Managers Drive Overpass and the Pearl Harbor Interchange.

Saving Time and Money

The Zipper Lane will make an additional traffic lane available to vehicles traveling toward Honolulu.
This alone will help relieve traffic congestion. But to make the highway truly efficient, the new Zipper Lane must also reduce the the number of vehicles on the road by encouraging commuters to take the bus or join a vanpool, carpool, or some other ridesharing arrangement.

To increase use of high occupancy vehicles, the new contraflow arrangement will reward commuters from Leeward and Central Oahu who parficipate in some form of ridesharing.
 
For those who take the bus, a vanpool, or carpool with three or more occupants, the Zipper Lane will offer many benefits, including time savings.For example, traffic engineers estimate that those who enter the Zipper Lane at the first entrance near Managers Drive Overpass will reduce their travel time by approximately 25 minutes. Commuters who rideshare will also save money on gas and parking charges, as well as the cost of wear and tear on their personal vehicles.

Putting More Express Into the Bus

 
There is good news for bus riders, too. Faster trips, made possible by the Zipper Lane, will deliver passengers to their destinations earlier. And because express buses will finish their routes sooner, it is anticipated that some will be able to make two trips during the morning rush hour rather than one. This would give bus riders the option of an early and a later time to catch the bus, instead of a single early time. Two trips per route could also mean more room for passengers by reducing the number of passengers on each bus ride.

The Zipper Lane will increase the efficiency of the affected portion of H-1 in other ways. It makes more lanes available to Honolulu-bound traffic. The existing HOV lone, open to vehicles with two or more occupants, will continue. And it should move more quickly since many of vehicles currently using this lane will be diverted to the Zipper Lane.

Flexibility at a Lower Cost

The Zipper Lane offers a flexible solution to the current congestion on Leeward H-1, allowing the Department of Transportation to respond in a timely, cost-effectve manner to changes in the traffic flow on the freeway. Planners expect the development of Kapolei and the surrounding area to eventually increase the number of people working west of Pearl Harbor. When this occurs, and east-bound and westbound traffic flows become more balanced, the Zipper Lane can be dismantled and moved elsewhere.

The price of installing the Zipper Lane represents a substantial savings over the alternative of widening the freeway and other expensive canstruction-based solutions, which typically cost tens of millions of dollars. The $16 million dollars for the equipment and improvements required to implement the Zipper Lone represent a fraction of the price tag on a typical capital improvement project.

Bad News for Cheaters

The Zipper Lane will make enforcement of HOV regulations much easier. Many motorists have complained about vehicles occupied by a lone driver illegally using the HOV lane. Because the Zipper Lane contains both a shoulder area and a traffic lane, police will be able to pull over violators and issue citations. The design of the Zipper Lane will also provide an area near the Pearl Harbor Interchange where HOV violators can be waved over by the police.

How to Use the Zipper Lane

There are three locatons at which buses, vanpools and carpools with three or more occupants can enter the Zipper Lane (see map). Those traveling toward Honolulu from Waipio and all communities westward can access the contraflow lane where it begins, near the Managers Drive Overpass on H-1, before Waikele. For Waikele and Waipahu residents, the entry point is on the Honolulu side of Paiwa Street in front of Waikele Shopping Center. The final entrance is located at the junction of H-1 and H-2, where central Oahu commuters using H-2 can crossover into the Zipper Lane.

Those entering at Waikele or H-2 will be merging with the vehicles already in the Zipper Lane. These entrances are designed with onramps to enable vehicles to merge safely with traffic in the contraflow lane (see figure 1).

Once in the contraflow lane, vehicles cannot return to regular Honolulu-bound portion of the freeway until the Zipper Lane ends at the Pearl Harbor Interchange, immediately before the H-1 Airport Viaduct.

Even though the Zipper Lane ends, the HOV lane will continue as the inside shoulder lane next to the median on the Honolulu-bound side of the H-1 Viaduct (see figure 4 and figure 2). This lane will still be restricted to vehicles with three or more occupants.

This configuration will continue until the Keehi Interchange at the end of the viaduct, where vanpools and carpools will have three choices. They may (1) exit using the HOV ramp to Nimitz Highway (2) merge with traffic going to Dillingham Boulevard or (3) continue on H-1 and merge with Moanalua Freeway traffic at Middle Street.

LOTMA: 696-RIDE (696-7433)

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