Q. When the state Transportation Department repaved a short stretch of the Pali Highway in Nu'uanu recently, the road crews didn't put the stripes back ... the same way they had been painted, so everyone driving from Waokanaka Street is taking a great risk every time they turn right to come out onto Pali Highway toward town. There used to be a solid white line that separated the outer lane from the middle lane so people couldn't make last-minute lane changes. The problem can be bad because when there's a green arrow for people coming out of Waokanaka, there's also a green light for people coming out of Nu'uanu Pali. Why was this changed?

A. The stripes were changed when the crews recently repaved that stretch of Pali Highway and the crews followed an earlier set of specifications for painting the stripes in the area, according to State Transportation Department spokesman Toby Wakumoto. After you called attention to the problem, state officials checked and found that the solid line had been added later to the original plan and the crews had followed outdated specifications. Wakumoto said crews will go back and repaint the stripes the way you described within two weeks.

Q. Another question in the same area: Where Waokanaka Street meets Pali Highway, the street is beginning to crumble underneath the guardrail, falling down into the drainage ditch and could be affecting the road soon. What can be done?

A. Wakumoto said the state will have someone take a look at this situation. "We have backfilled in the past and are now looking at a longer-term solution," he said.

Q. The H-1 Freeway embankment westbound near the Pali Highway off-ramp is so full of garbage, it's disgusting. Why is this well-traveled roadside neglected and allowed to look so bad?

A. Wakumoto said that area is regularly cleaned by a contractor several times a week. Still, this area does draw complaints regularly and he said it just reflects the unfortunate reality that there's a lot of rubbish on the roads.

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