Highway improvements planned at Puuanahulu

Drainage and safety improvements will begin this summer on Mamalahoa Highway in the Puuwaawaa area.

Some $600,000 in state capital improvement project funds was recently released by Gov. Neil Abercrombie for improvements to the highway, which spans from Kailua-Kona to Waimea, said state House Rep. Cindy Evans, D-North Kona and South Kohala.

Among the slated improvements are the design of an underground drainage system, which includes drain lines, inlets and a drainage basin, a retaining wall and realigning the highway, she said. The work will stretch along the Puuanahulu area, including the “S-curve” on the Kona side of Puuanahulu.

“We can’t look at this highway as a secondary road that few people drive on — it’s become the parallel road to Queen Kaahumanu (Highway) and a lot of people now drive on it,” Evans said. “It is becoming a major corridor that will be used more and more, so, something has to be done to increase safety.”

According to Evans, work is slated to commence in July with completion expected in December 2014.

She referred specific questions on work to the state Department of Transportation, which could not be reached as of press time Wednesday. The project is not contained in the latest draft of the 2011-14 Statewide Transportation Improvement Plan, which prioritizes federal, state and county projects and how federal highway and transit funds will be allocated over a four-year period.

Getting safety and road improvements for the highway through the Puuwaawaa area has been in the works for about a decade, Evans said. Over the years, the department has under taken several improvement projects in the area including lowering speed limits, adding guardrails and changing pavement striping, she said.

“Things have been done throughout the years and this is just another piece to the puzzle,” Evans said.