WAI'ANAE — Farrington Highway on the Wai'anae Coast is 17 miles of asphalt so dangerous that six dozen people have died there in the past 15 years. A mile-long curve of the highway at Ma'ili Point between Hakimo and Kaukama roads has been especially treacherous.

Since 2002, the stretch has seen more than two dozen major accidents, and over the years it has been the scene of numerous serious and fatal head-on collisions.

Next week, crews will begin installing long-awaited concrete barriers between the Wai'anae- and Honolulu-bound lanes, greatly reducing the threat of serious accidents, said Scott Ishikawa, spokesman for the state Department of Transportation.

"This is something the community has been asking for for years," he said. "What we've done in the past year is widen the road by about 5 to 6 feet so there's enough space to put these barriers in the middle."

Area resident Mark Suiso, whose nephew was killed in an accident on Farrington in 1996, is pleased the barriers are coming, although he thinks more needs to be done to make the road safer.

He believes the major problem has been that too many people use the only road in and out of Wai'anae Coast for cross purposes: Pedestrians walking back and forth between houses and the sea compete with fast-moving through traffic and slow-moving local drivers trying to make right and left turns.

In addition, "the traffic signals along the highway are not coordinated," he said. "That just aggravates the problem. If they were coordinated that would provide a consistent flow of traffic and minimize the road rage."

He also thinks the danger could be greatly curbed if there were more accommodations for local residents to get from place to place without venturing onto the highway. As it is now, local drivers have no alternative.

Another resident, Maralyn Kurshals, said, "There are some stretches of Farrington that are just more dangerous than others — and Ma'ili Point is one of them.

"The hand-made memorials up and down the Wai'anae Coast are a testament to the horrors of this highway — but we're hoping these barriers will make this section safer."

Still, she said, they've been too long in coming.

State Sen. Colleen Hanabusa, D-21st (Nanakuli, Makaha) — who lost her grandmother in a wreck on Farrington Highway and a brother right off the highway — lobbied for safety improvements along the dangerous curve. While she has favored a grassy median strip as a permanent solution, the barriers are an acceptable temporary alternative, she said.

"Of all of Farrington, that mile curve is the most dangerous — I call it the killer mile," said Hanabusa. "I'm happy that they are finally putting these barriers in. I'm still pushing for the grassy median."

Weather permitting, on Monday workers will begin installing 1,400 concrete blocks — each weighing 1,500 pounds — along the highway median, said Ishikawa. He said one lane of the highway will be closed in each direction during the barrier work, which should be complete in about two weeks.

The $8 million improvement project, which officially began on Aug. 26, 2004, called for restriping lanes and crosswalks, improving sidewalks in a larger area, and adding extra lighting.

Ishikawa said the department decided to use the same concrete fixtures that line the H-1 Zipper Lane.

"Those barriers are a little more flexible than the traditional concrete barriers. We hope the wall will better absorb the impact so that the vehicle does not ricochet into the next lane."

He also said the Zipper Lane type fixtures are slightly shorter and obstruct less of the panoramic ocean view. Some people believe the spectacular scenic view at Ma'ili Point is so distracting to motorists that they stray into oncoming lanes.

Ishikawa said he isn't sure the view has made the stretch so hazardous.

"There's a combination of reasons," he said. "One is driver inattention. Another is speeding. And, unfortunately, another is drunken driving."

The project, which had been plagued by delays, was originally slated to begin in October of 2003. It was rescheduled to begin in February of 2004 but stalled again after a funding shortfall and the need for extra time to get the design approved by the Federal Highway Administration.

The project is 80 percent funded by the federal government.

"We've wanted to get this done before the holiday season," said Ishikawa. "There will be some inconvenience for the next two or three weeks. But I think everybody understands that the important thing is that these barriers will prevent any more head-on collisions."

Reach Will Hoover at whoover@honoluluadvertiser.com.