City officials yesterday announced the long-awaited completion of the $5.9 million Wai'anae Coast Emergency Access Route — a patchwork alternative of back roads to Farrington Highway, the only thoroughfare leading in and out of the Wai'anae Coast.

"I want to stress: This is not a primary road — this is an emergency road only," Honolulu Mayor Mufi Hannemann told area residents and community leaders who gathered for a morning dedication ceremony at the intersection of Lualualei Naval Road and Pa'akea Road.

"But at least you know now there is relief, there is an alternative, there is an option when things break down along Farrington Highway."

And break down they often have.

For years, Farrington Highway has been vexed by a recurring nightmare — it is prone to being shut down, sometimes in both directions, and often for hours, or even days.

Reasons for the closures have included hostage standoffs, water-main breaks, multivehicle crashes and blown-over utility poles. During these periods, movement in and out of the coast comes to a virtual halt.

The new access route, which will only be open during emergencies, is intended to assist residents in reaching their homes when Farrington is shut down. It will also provide alternative pathways for fire, ambulances and other emergency vehicles.

SOME ARE SKEPTICAL

After yesterday's dedication, Makaha resident Maralyn Kurshals remained skeptical, calling the idea "a short-term fix on a deep-rooted, long-term problem." She echoed the sentiments of many residents, who feel they have been repeatedly let down by government promises.

"Having an emergency access route is fine," she said. "But the reality is how are they going to actually implement it in the case of an emergency? They need to have a strategic plan that will get the traffic moving fast."

Otherwise, she said, residents will still end up stuck in traffic while officials try to divert vehicles to the complex emergency access system.

But Patty Teruya, who chairs the Nanakuli Neighborhood Board and has worked since 2000 to get the access route completed, disagreed.

"This gives us the ability to get off of Farrington Highway and come up to Lualualei Naval Road and cut through Pa'akea Road all the way to Ma'ili and Wai'anae — clear shot," Teruya said.

Teruya, who hopes to one day see a public mountain access road in and out of Wai'anae similar to the restricted, military-owned Kolekole Pass road, said until then, the new access route will make life easier for residents.

Jo Jordan, who chairs the Wai'anae Neighborhood Board, agreed that the access road is an improvement. But she was disappointed that it doesn't conform to the initial concept.

"Originally, this was supposed to be a 24/7 public alternative to Farrington Highway," she said. "We wanted that so we could get people going this way instead of adding congestion to Farrington Highway."

BASICALLY, A BYPASS

The route is essentially a bypass between Nanakuli and Wai'anae. Previously, there has not been a complete passageway between both ends of the coast for motorists to follow. The route, in the works since the administration of Honolulu Mayor Jeremy Harris, has been stalled for numerous reasons over the years.

"This is not your silver bullet," cautioned Wayne Yoshioka, director of the city Department of Transportation Services. "But it is an essential piece of the puzzle, to make sure that the residents of the Wai'anae Coast really have the mobility that they deserve."

Yoshioka described the route as "a series of existing and new roadway segments that provide an alternative to get around any kind of emergency blockages of Farrington Highway."

Existing back roads were connected by new paved segments to create the access route, he said. A short strip near Makaha is passable, but unpaved, because the area is still under development, he said. Otherwise, residents from Nanakuli to Makaha now have an alternative means of accessing Farrington Highway at more than a half-dozen locations, said Yoshioka.

But the access route will not prevent Farrington Highway from being shut down to traffic moving in and out of the Wai'anae Coast in the future, he said. It is meant to offer relief for motorists within the coastal area during times when Farrington Highway shuts down.