Tom Matthews, the state/city DOT's need to have competent personnel to solve our traffic problems.  The closure of the Piikoi Street onramp is a start that is not costly.  The logic of keeping the main flow of traffic (H1 East) moving should have priority.  However, to compliment it,  the two left lanes from Kinau Street should have solid lines on that side to prevent lane changing.    
To help motorists who no longer can use the Piikoi Street onramp, the city should lengthen the traffic lights on Ward at King and Beretania.  There is now a host of cars on King making that left turn up Ward.  Of course the cycle track does not help.  The other onramp is by the Humane Society.  However, traffic on King Street is terrible especially by Kalakaua and Punahou Streets.  Those two traffic signals need to be lengthen.  If the city traffic management division cannot see this, then it verifies that we have incompetent personnel in there hence this traffic nightmare.