The Ala Moana Pedestrian Walkway: How It Will Connect Kaka'ako To Ala Moana Beach Park

Ala Moana Beach Park is an incredibly popular tourist and local destination for spending time with friends and family, picnicking, exercising on land or in the water, taking pets on walks, or even just lounging in the Hawaiian sun. This park is used by residents of nearby condominiums regularly, who are able to walk from their homes to the park by using crosswalks on Ala Moana Boulevard. The same can be said for local users of the Kewalo Basin Harbor docks, who park their boat in this harbor and regularly travel out into the open Pacific Ocean.

However, a problem arises in there being very sparse crosswalk areas around Ala Moana Boulevard, severely slowing travel between both sides of the busy street. This becomes very evident on larger blocks of land, such as the Ward Village block area between Ward Avenue and Kamake'e Street, which stretches for more than 1200 feet (or 366 meters) and only features one crosswalk near each end of the block.

Luckily, the Hawai'i Department of Transportation has a solution to this problem- the Ala Moana Pedestrian Walkway. This elevated pedestrian walkway bridge will be located between Ward Avenue and Kamake'e Street, and it is expected to receive a high amount of pedestrian traffic with an estimated 2100 daily pedestrians and bicyclists.¹

Not only will this elevated walkway reduce the amount of traffic backup on Ala Moana Boulevard in this area (given the approximately 40000 vehicles that travel on this street daily²), but it will also directly connect the master-planned Ward Village community and the greater Kaka'ako area to Ala Moana Beach Park and Kewalo Harbor. Specifically, the upcoming Alia and Kalae condominiums will greatly benefit from this bridge and the quick direct access to the across-the-street amenities, thanks to their close proximity to the buiding site.

Given that the construction on this $17.8 million walkway plans to be completed by October of 2023³, residents of Alia and Kalae (which are both expected to be completed in 2026) as well as residents of the greater Kaka'ako area will be able to utilize the walkway and spend time in the park, on the beach, and in the water with ease.

(Note: The renderings used in this post may not reflect how the walkway will actually look. In fact, the walkway will not be landscaped as depicted in the renderings.)

Sources:

¹ Hawai'i Department of Transportation, "Construction of the Ala Moana Boulevard Elevated Pedestrian Walkway Begins May 2." 2022.

² Hawai'i Department of Transportation, "Construction of the Ala Moana Boulevard Elevated Pedestrian Walkway Begins May 2." 2022.

³ Hawai'i Department of Transportation, "Construction of the Ala Moana Boulevard Elevated Pedestrian Walkway Begins May 2." 2022.