Hawaii Volcanoes National Park will submit a request to make the Chain of Craters alternate route a two-lane road within the park.
During a conference call with reporters, Mayor Billy Kenoi, U.S. Sen. Brian Schatz and U.S. Rep. Tulsi Gabbard said meetings with park officials resulted in an agreement to allow buried portions of the road to be restored to its original 22-foot easement inside the park.
That’s enough to allow for two lanes rather than one.
Nearly 8 miles of the road is buried by past lava flows from the ongoing Puu Oo eruption. About 5.4 miles of that is within the park.
Park Superintendent Cindy Orlando said the request needs to be approved by the U.S. Department of Interior. She said she expects it to be approved and is hoping to hear back by the end of next week.
“We will revise our request and we feel like it still qualifies under emergency action criteria,” Orlando said.
The re-established unpaved road would be used as an alternate route for lower Puna residents should the June 27 lava flow cut off access by crossing Highway 130 and other routes farther downslope.
“We’ve been negotiating for many weeks now with the National Park Service,” said Kenoi, who added that assistance from Gabbard and Schatz was “instrumental” in reaching the agreement.
He said the agreement allows “the park to serve their mission (and) at the same time ensure we have access out of lower Puna.”
Work has been ongoing on the Kalapana side of the alternate route since Sept. 23.
Bulldozers have rough-graded 2.3 miles of the road, according to the county.
Previously, park officials said they could allow only a one-lane gravel road over buried portions of the former route without conducting a more lengthy environmental review, possibly an environmental impact statement.
Such a review process could prove too lengthy for lower Puna residents who face being cut off from the rest of the island.
Schatz said a more lengthy review process can be waived since the route will follow the original roadway and be the same width as other roads in the park.
Orlando said the park has had its concerns about layout and design of the road addressed. It also was told traffic on the road could be less than previously estimated.
Construction equipment will be required to be washed before entering the park to prevent spread of invasive species, she said.
Jessica Ferracane, park spokeswoman, said a new environmental analysis will still be needed for a 22-foot-wide road but added that will happen “very quickly.”
“It will require further consultation with (U.S.) Fish and Wildlife,” she said.
A memorandum of agreement also will be needed between the county and park.
Gabbard said she took an aerial tour of the route Friday.
“I know this is something that will give a lot of hope to the residents of Puna that, as this situation progresses, progress will be made,” she said.
Schatz said roadwork within the park could be reimbursed by the federal government.
The project is expected to cost between $12 million and $15.5 million.
The lava flow has slowed again and it isn’t clear how soon it could reach the highway and other routes.
Kenoi said Chain of Craters Road would be open by the time that happens. The flow had advanced another 60 yards as of Friday morning.
If the other roads are cut off, a trip to Hilo from Pahoa would be about 64 miles by the Chain of Craters route, which would take residents through Volcano. It’s currently 17 miles.
Kenoi had projected the project would take between 45 and 60 days from the start, but he said work would be expedited if needed.
U.S. Sen. Mazie Hirono also met with Orlando on Friday.
Email Tom Callis at tcallis@hawaiitribune-herald.com.