The public comment period addressing the draft environmental assessment for the Waikoloa Road/Paniolo Avenue roundabout concluded Monday, with community members expressing concern over the finding of no significant impact recommended in the report.
The Department of Public Works has proposed to modify the existing two-way stop intersection by constructing a two-lane roundabout.
“The two-lane roundabout was selected as the best option to accommodate projected long-term traffic demands at this intersection,” said DPW Director Steve Pause when the draft EA was published. “The roundabout will enhance traffic flow movement and reduce delays presently experienced at peak a.m. and p.m. volumes. It will result in a safer intersection for pedestrians and vehicles, will decrease vehicle pollution, and will lower long-term maintenance costs for the county.”
The Waikoloa Village Association, in a letter to the county and Bowers + Kuboto, who prepared the report, challenged the finding and requested consideration of traffic lights instead of a roundabout.
In 2023, with immense community support, the association passed a nonbinding resolution requesting the county pursue the traffic light option. In response to the draft EA, the association, through its President David Berg, sites safety and environmental concerns that have not been addressed.
Berg asserts the traffic data used for the road improvement project are flawed and incomplete because traffic counts at the intersection were conducted in April 2021, when there was a significant decrease in the number of vehicles traveling because of the COVID-19 pandemic.
He also notes traffic projections are unsound due to them being based on projected island growth and not specific to the village, which is expected to add more than 1,000 homes in the near future.
He states there are also back-ups to the new access road into the Waikoloa Plaza shopping center from Waikoloa Road. Currently, the shopping center is approximately half complete with plans for two hotels and two fast-food restaurants on that street.
Berg suggested a revised traffic impact analysis report be completed before a roundabout is even considered.
In addition to traffic concerns, the association expressed concerns about pedestrian safety.
The letter states, “The lack of details around pedestrian safety and disabled access remain unclear. We know that state and county officials in Maui determined that pedestrian travel through a round-about is too dangerous for the only other 2-lane roundabout in existence in the state. They believed the only safe and proper way to navigate the traffic circle they built there was to construct an elevated walkway above it. The construction costs for that safety feature in Maui are in excess of $16 million and seem to be way out of scope for our intersection.”
As for environmental concerns, Berg said the proposed roundabout will create hazardous runoff onto private property, as the intersection is flood prone.
“It is troubling you are proposing a solution that increases runoff which would either send flood waters and debris to the only fire station in the area or to the Waikoloa Village Association Golf Course, where protected species exist,” Berg writes.
Berg also questioned the report’s finding that construction of the roundabout would create short-term impacts to traffic conditions, noting the intersection is the only way in or out for the 7,400 residents of Waikoloa Village.
“There has been no reasonable plan put forth how the flow of traffic in and out of Waikoloa Village could occur during construction, especially at times of emergency evacuation, as has been the case in recent wildfire evacuations. We do not have confidence the county can create a safe path for travel in such a small area, especially in light of the four motor vehicle accidents, one which included two fatalities, that occurred on Waikoloa Road in the last 10 days in the area being paved as part of another county road improvement project. Additionally, construction at this single point for so many people could be catastrophic should people need to get out in an emergency or if emergency vehicles need to get in,” he said
Waikoloa Village resident Michael Phillips agrees.
“The county went into the process knowing they wanted to do a roundabout even before they had insights and facts at their disposal to justify that decision,” he said. “They took the data and information they had and force fed it into a roundabout solution rather than a traffic light.”
He said the data and insights shared in the draft EA showed that it is a “half baked” idea that warrants more due diligence.
The first traffic study for the intersection came out in 1991 and recommended a traffic light.
“We have been patiently waiting for a solution for decades and things haven’t happened,” said Phillips. “In the interest of safety and time, I hope the county puts in a light as quickly as possible, and if they are absolutely committed to a roundabout, I hope the do proper due diligence.”
“We recommend you quickly pursue the proposed traffic signal from the initial assessment of the intersection improvement project. This can be done quickly without further harm to the environment, without the need to purchase additional land, without the need to impede on traffic coming/going from Waikoloa Village during its installation, and for a significant sum less than what a roundabout would require,” said Berg in his letter.
DPW spokeswoman Sherise Kana‘e-Kane said public comments are being reviewed.
“The consultant is compiling the comments and will prepare draft responses for DPW to review. The final draft package is anticipated to be available by the end of the month. We will post the completed final on the DPW website,” she said.