Climate Change is Making Hawaii’s Roadwats More Dangerous

Sea levels have risen 9 inches over the last 100 years causing Hawaii’s roadways to become more hazardous.

Amin Leimin, Data Analyst - Weather changes on Hawaii Highways

An interview with Amin Leiman, project manager for a company analyzing climate change impacts on Hawaii’s roadways

By Madeline Henningsen

          Climate change has caused Hawaii tides to reach the highest levels in 100 years and induced king tides in areas such as Mapunapuna, a lowly area adjacent to Honolulu’s Daniel K. Inouye Airport. The rising waters are making Nimitz highway and other areas more dangerous - causing wet roads and accidents. King tides are defined as “exceptionally” high tides that correspond to the full moon. These tides, which occur most often in December and January, and in the summer months of July and August, are becoming more powerful.

One reason is that climate change induced sea level rise is making offshore water levels rise along with the tides. It is estimated that sea levels around Hawaii have risen as much as 9 inches since the first tidal records were kept in Hawaii in 1905. Partly because of the impact of three years of La Nina, a warming of ocean temperatures in the Central Pacific - they have become so powerful they roll across low-lying areas like the airport runways like flood waters and then and flow directly into areas like Mapunapuna. The tides cause flooding which can rapidly engulf cars and drivers.

Sea level rise in Mapunapuna - Photo R Tabata Hawaii and Pacific Islands King Tides Project University of Hawaii Sea Grant

When the tides were lower people accepted the flooding and other risks associated with king tides as a fact of life along with the accidents they sometimes cause for local drivers. It was simply considered part of living in an island state, in which some areas of roadways are more likely to be more dangerous than others due to their proximity to coastal flooding.

What is happening now is different than in the past. Climate change has made sea water levels rise and with them the length, height, and duration of king tides. This is happening throughout the world and in Hawaii as well.

Computer software experts like Amin Leimin now challenge this view. Amin studies millions of data points over many years in order to determine when accidents related to climate change occur and how often.

Experts predict that king tides that manifest themselves as enormous sudden floods on roadways will occur more frequently due to sea level rise, which highlights the need for intervention. If the right data is collected, the frequency of these events in specific locations can be calculated and then preventative measures can be put in place beforehand instead of relying on after-the-fact solutions, potentially saving lives

According to the Federal Center for Disease Control and Prevention, car crashes are the eighth leading cause of death for all age groups and the leading cause of death for people ages 5-29. Transportation commissions around the world all have one basic goal: to reduce fatalities. To this end, the Hawaii Department of Transportation (HDOT) has started a cutting-edge project as a step towards reaching this goal. HDOT, in collaboration with Google, has an ongoing project with a leading local IT company to use data analytics to make Hawaii’s roads safer.

For example, The Nimitz Ala Moana Corridor (NAC), is notoriously backed up due to accidents in high numbers. Using state-of-the-art technology, Amin and his software engineers are monitoring Nimitz Highway, from Sand Island to Ala Moana, to collect data on hard-breaking, speeding, and accidents. This project uses live data to collect robust information to put in place countermeasures, such as coning, rumble strips, or narrowing lanes.

The countermeasures are then implemented, and before/after evaluations are performed, using data to determine if the number of accidents decreased.

Another section of the island that needs to be monitored with data is from the west side (Kapoiei) into town. The large number of people driving in this direction Monday through Friday leads to accidents, HDOT wants to know where, when, and why these accidents are occurring.

Progress is achieved by identifying an issue, collecting information on the causes of the issue, and implementing a change. Through the use of live data collection, city, and state government road engineers can help create solutions that save lives. Projects like this, and software engineers like Amin, are pushing Hawaii towards safer roads.