How to Drive on Fort Weaver Road
I just wanted to follow up on my earlier Fort Weaver Road Rage with a few pictures, and a bit of advice ... (that I learned the hard way).
If you live if Ewa Beach, or have ever visited anybody down this way, the following picture will not be an unfamiliar sight to you ...
This is the view from just under the H-1 freeway at about 4:45 in the afternoon. As you can see, the cars are well backed up across the Farrington Hwy overpass. If you're faced with this view, the main thing to remember, is DO NOT get in the left hand lane. For about the first 3 weeks I lived in Iroquois Point, I made this mistake on my way home in the afternoons. It ended up costing me about an extra 20 minutes every day.
Once you get over Farrington Hwy, you'll be faced with another decision as you approach the stoplight near the Hospital:
At this point, I'm in the right hand lane, but notice that at the bottom of the over pass, it actually becomes 4 lanes (before merging back into 2 a couple hundred yards up the road, after the stoplight). If it was a little earlier in the day, I would definitely want to get over as far to the right as I could ... that lane moves fastest for some reason. However, on a day like this, when there are already quite a few cars merging in from Farrington Highway, you're probably better off just staying in this lane, or even getting over to the left.
Unfortunately, no matter what you do, it's probably going to take at least 20 minutes to get to the point where the road becomes two lanes again:
At this point, it really doesn't matter whether you're in the right or left lane ... although, the right lane does still seem to move a little quicker.
As you approach the merge with Old Fort Weaver Road, this is definitely the point where you'll want to get in the left hand lane. And, baring any accidents or traffic light malfunctions, this is also where your drive is getting ready to be a lot better. Just around this curve you can see in the distance to the left, traffic usually thins out, and you can make the remainder of your drive at normal speed.
The are currently doing construction to add another lane to this area of Fort Weaver Road. And, the North South road a little further west towards Kapolei is due to open in a few years. Both of these should help to ease the congestion. But in the mean time, I suppose it's just something we have to live with ... the price of paradise.
I hope you find these pictures and tips helpful. If you've got any tips to share, please leave a comment.
Keep havin FuN!
Todd
The traffic looks pretty brutal. If (when) I visit, I won’t be doing any driving. I will have to get someone to do it for me, so I don’t wreck the vacation with stress!
Tim E.’s last blog post..Dodd?s Lake, Innisfail, Oval Ice Race with Second Gear Club
Hi Tim,
Oh no, I don’t want to give people who are considering visiting here such a bad impression. What’s funny about traffic here in Hawaii is that travel times can fluctuate so greatly depending on the time of day. For instance, this same drive that takes about an hour in the late afternoon, can be made in about 25 minutes at lunch time. If you come to visit, there’s no reason not to have a car … just try to plan most of your driving for between like 9am-3pm.
Keep havin FuN!
Todd
Traffic was pretty heavy this past Sunday in Town for some reason. Anyway, thanks for the tip. I usually have issues around driving this area of Oahu when I travel to the island. I’m actually considering taking the easy way out and getting a GPS.
Local Kine’s last blog post..Ono Food Picks: Shrimp Dynamite Maki Sushi from Sushiman
A GPS will tell you when to turn. Unfortunately, it can’t tell you how many cars are going to be up around the corner … that’s a gadget I would pay for!
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