Your Hawaii vacation will start out a little prettier soon

Imagine living in a lovely home, a showcase, that contains one “junk” room.  The junk room’s window faces a grimy brick wall, and it’s full of tools, auto supplies, painting materials and other stuff.  And what if that room were the first room your guests would see upon entering?

That’s been the case with Honolulu for years.  Most Hawaii visitors arrive at Honolulu International Airport, just four miles west of Honolulu, and most of those are taken to Waikiki via Nimitz Highway, Route 92.

The problem is that Nimitz Highway has been … well, ugly.  It runs right through the city’s heaviest industrial areas, going past the Pearl Harbor Naval Base and Hickam Air Force Base gates, under the Airport Viaduct and serving as the primary truck route into the city and Waikiki, alongside warehouses and commercial piers.

Vacationers, after taking in the splendor of the islands via movies, TV, brochures and the Internet, get their blood rushing as they view the promising approach through their plane windows, then have had to encounter the island’s junk room on their way to their accommodations.

That’s in the process of changing.  The route is being beautified.  64 coconut palm trees are being planted in the median on Nimitz at a cost of 408-thousand dollars.   Even resident taxpayers who have opposed spending the money now agree the money is well-spent (and it’s from last year’s budget).

So when you arrive on your Hawaii vacation, we residents can be a little more comfortable with your first impression of our home.

1 comment October 6th, 2008