Bill Text: HI SCR39 | 2011 | Regular Session | Introduced

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Bill Title: Kolekole Pass Road; Mauka Highway

Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Democrat 1-0)

Status: (Introduced - Dead) 2011-03-03 - (S) Referred to TIA/PGM. [SCR39 Detail]

Download: Hawaii-2011-SCR39-Introduced.html

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THE SENATE	S.C.R. NO.	39
TWENTY-SIXTH LEGISLATURE, 2011
STATE OF HAWAII

SENATE CONCURRENT

RESOLUTION

 

 

requesting the department of transportation, with assistance from the oahu metropolitan planning organization, to conduct a study on the feasibility of using kolekole pass road as an alternative means of access to and from the leeward coast of Oahu.

 

 

     WHEREAS, Farrington Highway is the main route of travel through the communities of the Leeward Coast of Oahu and is the only public highway that leads into and out of the region; and

 

     WHEREAS, in recent years, Farrington Highway has experienced lane closures or a complete shutdown on numerous occasions due to traffic accidents, severe weather, and other emergency conditions; and

 

     WHEREAS, the Mauka Highway project was developed to plan a proposed roadway through the Waianae mountain range to connect the Leeward Coast with Central Oahu and provide an alternative means of access to and from the Leeward Coast; and

 

     WHEREAS, while several proposed alignments for the Mauka Highway project have been considered, the project has not received funding for further development or to begin construction; and

 

     WHEREAS, Kolekole Pass Road, a federally-owned and controlled road, passes through the Waianae mountain range and connects the Leeward Coast to Central Oahu; and

 

     WHEREAS, Kolekole Pass Road passes through two military installations and is currently not open to civilian traffic; and

 

     WHEREAS, the State, the United States Army, and the United States Navy have entered into a memorandum of understanding with the state Department of Defense for use of Kolekole Pass Road as an emergency evacuation route; and

 

     WHEREAS, pursuant to that memorandum of understanding, Kolekole Pass Road has in fact, been used on several occasions as an emergency evacuation route; and

 

     WHEREAS, the Legislature finds that there is a critical need for an alternate route to the Leeward Coast to alleviate traffic congestion and accommodate the growing population on the Leeward side of Oahu; now, therefore,

 

     BE IT RESOLVED by the Senate of the Twenty-sixth Legislature of the State of Hawaii, Regular Session of 2011, the House of Representatives concurring, that the Department of Transportation, with the cooperation, support, and assistance of the Oahu Metropolitan Planning Organization, is requested to conduct a study on the feasibility of using Kolekole Pass Road as an alignment for the Mauka Highway project to provide an alternative means of access to and from the Leeward Coast; and

 

     BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that, in its study, the Department of Transportation is requested to:

 

     (1)  Determine the logistical challenges of opening Kolekole Pass Road to civilian traffic on a permanent basis;

 

     (2)  Review and consider the jurisdictional issues that need to be addressed and resolved to allow the use of Kolekole Pass Road by civilians;

 

     (3)  Determine any conditions necessitated by an agreement between the State, the United States Navy, and the United States Army for the use of Kolekole Pass Road as a highway open to civilian traffic; and

 

     (4)  Consider any other pertinent issues that may be involved in the use of Kolekole Pass Road as an alternative means of access to and from the Leeward Coast; and

 

     BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Department of Transportation is requested to submit its findings and recommendations, including any recommended legislation, to the Legislature not later than twenty days prior to the convening of the Regular Session of 2012; and

 

     BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that certified copies of this Concurrent Resolution be transmitted to the Director of Transportation; Executive Director of the Oahu Metropolitan Planning Organization; Commander, United States Pacific Fleet; Commanding General, United States Army Pacific; and Commander, United States Pacific Command.

 

 

 

	OFFERED BY:	_____________________________

Report Title: 

Kolekole Pass Road; Mauka Highway