A newly released plan for the island’s highways drives home the fact there is significant growth ahead and not enough money to pay for the roads to support it.
To meet the transportation demands of a population projected to increase 60 percent by 2035, an estimated $7.4 billion in state and federal funding would be needed. Only $1.2 billion of that is likely to be available, according to the report prepared by consultants CH2M HILL.
Under current trends, the deficit will leave the island’s projected 280,000 residents and 2 million yearly visitors in more traffic jams in more places two decades from now, with heavy congestion expanding into Waimea, Waikoloa, Pahoa and Mountain View.
The final draft of the Federal-Aid Highways 2035 Transportation Plan, a 393-page report by the state Department of Transportation Highways Division, was released last week.
The list of projects compiled in the report is “fiscally unconstrained,” meaning it is essentially a wish list. Many of the ideas have been batted around for years.
Possible West Hawaii solutions include a $105 million roadway between Kamehameha III Road and Queen Kaahumanu Highway and adding two lanes to Kuakini Highway from Henry Street to Kamehameha III Road for $83 million. Other potential West Hawaii projects include an extension of Saddle Road to Queen Kaahumanu Highway for $180 million and a $265 million Kawaihae bypass extending from Waimea to Akoni Pule Highway.
The figures are 2011 estimates. The latest estimate for the Saddle Road extension is $100 million, according to the Statewide Transportation Improvement Program for 2015-18.
East Hawaii traffic problems could be addressed with a $288 million “mid-level” road between Hilo and Pahoa makai of Highway 130. Other East Hawaii solutions include widening Mamalahoa Highway to four lanes between Mountain View and Keaau for $173 million and providing an additional two lanes on Kanoelehua Avenue from Makalika Street to Kalanianaole Avenue in Hilo, at a cost of $121 million.
Jon Olson, who has served on numerous East Hawaii traffic committees since the early 1990s, said the state and county have consistently fallen short of their obligation to plan for the growth they approve. The answer lies in implementing community development plans, with bikeable and walkable communities and jobs close to population centers, Olson said.
“You need to put the jobs and commercial venues where the population centers are,” Olson said. “They’re not going to build their way out of this. It’s not going to happen.”
On the west side, major growth is projected for Waikoloa, Waimea and Hawi. Highway 11 south of Kailua-Kona averages 27,000 vehicles a day, according to 2011 figures. There are about 21,000 vehicles per day on Queen Kaahumanu Highway near Kona International Airport and 23,000 per day near the Kohala resorts.
East side growth is expected to continue to be concentrated in Puna and the Volcano area. On the already crowded Highway 130 between Keaau and Pahoa, traffic is projected to double from its current 40,000 vehicles per day.
“The already congested roads near Kona would also see increasing, resulting in worse operating conditions compared to today,” the report states. “Travel time between communities would increase and vehicles on those highways could experience long delays and slow travel times.”
The plan was crafted with input from advisory committees comprised of numerous county and state officials and the public. The public weighed in on the plan at workshops in Kona and Hilo in 2012 and 2014.
Ken Obenski, chairman of the Kona Traffic Safety Committee, said he’s heard overwhelmingly from the public that West Hawaii roads are too narrow. Sidewalks and wider shoulders could give significant benefit to the public at a relatively low cost, he said.
“Pedestrians are on the roads daily with no sidewalks and no shoulders,” said Obenski, who noted the opinions were his own and didn’t necessarily represent the safety committee. “Another thing is the speed limits for the most part are too low. It leads to bad driving, tailgating and passing where you shouldn’t.”
The Saddle Road extension to Queen Kaahumanu Highway is necessary, and backing from the military will help the project move forward, Obenski said. The existing Waikoloa Road is poorly designed to handle flow between Saddle Road and Waikoloa Village and the makai resort area, he said.
“That road is terrible for heavy traffic,” he said.
Hawaii Island’s 27 miles of bike lanes and paths would see a boost under the plan, with new bikeways incorporated into many of the highway improvements.