HONOLULU — With legal ownership issues resolved, Kaka‘ako streets in one of Honolulu’s major residential and commercial hubs are about to undergo long-awaited repairs and refurbishment to fix potholes, bumps and overall disrepair.
State and city officials announced Friday at a news conference that road and street projects in Kaka‘ako will begin in mid-August.
Ed Sniffen, director of the state Department of Transportation, told the Honolulu Star-Advertiser that the roads along Kaka‘ako are unsafe — describing them as “really bad.” He also noted issues such as bumps, cracks and inadequate drainage, which have led to frequent flooding reported by businesses in the area.
Initiatives to revitalize the roads will address driving, walking, biking and transit needs, including the integration of sidewalks and bike lanes. In the long-term plan, Sniffen said he hopes to incorporate drainage systems to protect businesses from flooding during the rainy season.
To repair all the roads in Kaka‘ako, he anticipates that $100 million will need to be allocated over a period of 10 years. The initial phase of the project, costing $1 million, will focus on repaving the roads from Cooke to Kamakee streets to level them out.
The ownership issues involving some Kaka‘ako streets were resolved by a 2021 state court ruling that declared the roadways to be public.
House Speaker Scott Saiki (D, Ala Moana-Kaka‘ako-Downtown) told the Star-Advertiser that the streets from Queen to Waimanu streets were owned by Charles Desky until 1903, when he moved off-island. Desky had dedicated the streets to the state through a Senate resolution, which was formally accepted by the territorial Legislature. However, no deed for the transfer was ever found because “someone forgot to record it,” according to Saiki.
In 1985 brothers Calvert and Calvin Chun of Kaka‘ako Land Co. acquired the roads via a quitclaim deed from Desky’s granddaughter, Adele Christian, offering her $5,000.
Saiki said the roads in the Kaka‘ako area were never fixed or repaired because their legal ownership status was disputed and they were “in limbo.” Despite KLC’s claimed ownership, the private company did not repair or maintain the roads, which fell into disrepair.
Honolulu Mayor Rick Blangiardi told the Star- Advertiser that even though the city is not legally responsible for fixing the roads, the city had worked to cover potholes and make minor repairs.
In the early 2010s — when development began in Kaka‘ako — KLC painted parking stalls on the roads, charged for parking and towed vehicles that did not pay.
Some businesses in the area filed lawsuits over the parking charges and towing of cars, challenging KLC’s ownership status. In 2013, Saiki said, he began working with the state Department of the Attorney General to intervene in the lawsuits against KLC.
Former Attorney General David Louie took the case to trial, and in 2021 the state court ruled that Kaka‘ako roads are not privately owned by KLC and are instead public roadways.
Trial Judge the Honorable Jeffrey Crabtree observed in his decision that Desky likely intended to transfer the streets to the then- territorial government before relocating to California.
After the ruling it took a year to coordinate with the Attorney General’s Office to complete the official transfer of the roads to the City and County of Honolulu.
While the city is still working on determining the exact boundaries of the roads, it is now the legal owner of the Kaka‘ako roads.
Additionally, the Attorney General’s Office is pursuing a second lawsuit against KLC to recover the funds paid by residents for parking and towing on the Kaka‘ako roads. The lawsuit is pending in state court.
Saiki estimated that the Chun brothers may have obtained “millions and millions of dollars” through their claimed ownership of the roads. He expects that a substantial portion of this money will be returned to the people who paid for parking or had their cars towed.
Construction is set to begin on Aug. 12, starting with Cooke Street to Ward Avenue for four days, from 8 p.m. to 4 a.m. daily. Work will then move from Ward Avenue to Kamake‘e Street for another four days during the same hours.
Although the project is expected to be completed within eight days, Sniffen advised that residents and businesses should be prepared for potential delays extending into the second week.
Once the paving is finished, the DOT will collaborate with the city to complete additional repairs, including installing safety systems for pedestrians and cyclists as well as enhancing the drainage system.
Over the next five years, another $50 million will be spent to further improve infrastructure, with a particular focus on Queen Street.
Jon Nouchi, deputy director of the City Department of Transportation Services, also announced that a new bus route will be introduced in the Kaka‘ako neighborhood toward the end of August.
Route 7 will complement Route 6 along the entire length of Queen Street, connecting the Kaka‘ako neighborhood with Kalihi and Kahala.
