Q. I was wondering when lane markers are going to be installed on H-1 townbound between the Waimalu exit and stadium exit. There are many missing in this area and in some places there are no lane markers at all, making it a safety concern at night or when it rains and the lanes cannot be distinguished.

A. Crews put new markers on nearly the entire stretch of the freeway viaduct late last year, said Scott Ishikawa, spokesman for the state Transportation Department. And he said early this year crews did the area from Waipahu to the H-1 airport viaduct.

Crews went out to recheck that work after your call. In addition, Ishikawa said crews will work along the H-1 Waimalu exit heading 'ewa-bound on Oct. 28 to replace the lane markers that came off.

He said that work was to have been done last Saturday but was postponed because of rain. He urged drivers to steer clear from 6 a.m. to 4 p.m. that day as crews try to get the work done before the University of Hawai'i football game.

Ishikawa said the ceramic dots that mark the freeway lanes were just installed in June by the contractor responsible for the H-1 widening project. The contractor will foot the bill for the new work, he said.

He said the state realizes the importance of the markers.

Q. Last night, the H-1 Freeway eastbound was closed down to one lane starting around the Punchbowl exit. Shortly after the Punchbowl exit there was a sign that said: "road work 500 feet." Why doesn't the DOT give motorists more warning so we can make a detour? Five hundred feet doesn't give you enough time to get off the freeway. This is not an isolated incident. I work at night and have been caught in these kinds of lane closures many times, causing me to be late. A little forewarning would be appreciated.

A. Ishikawa said he had trouble finding out exactly what type of maintenance work went on that evening, or whether it was emergency work. But after hearing from you, he said: "We'll send a reminder to the crews about trying to set up the electronic signs earlier."

Ishikawa sympathizes with your complaint. But he said that — for most people — doing the work and lane closures at night "is the lesser of two evils, since there is less impact to traffic than when done in the daytime."

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