HILO — Hawaii County plans to paint new lines on a portion of Highway 130 to provide four lanes of traffic around the clock, said Public Works Director Frank De Marco.
The 2-mile section stretches from Keaau to Shower Drive, where a shoulder lane has been used since 2015 to alleviate the bottle neck past Keaau High School during rush hour.
The effort won’t involve widening the highway, which the state placed on hold indefinitely because of a lack of funds.
De Marco said the new lanes will be slightly narrower — 11 feet instead of 12 feet — and will include 5-foot shoulders. He said the county will do the work itself, possibly starting this summer, while the state Department of Transportation covers the cost of materials.
“We’re doing what we can to get some relief for the people of Puna,” he said.
DOT spokesman Tim Sakahara was unable to provide comment or confirm the plan by deadline Friday.
But he said that would fit with the state’s current strategy that focuses on “system preservation rather than large capacity projects” because of funding constraints. Another department spokesperson previously said it was studying the idea.