THE SENATE	S.C.R. NO.	78
THIRTIETH LEGISLATURE, 2019		S.D. 1
STATE OF HAWAII

SENATE CONCURRENT

RESOLUTION

 

 

REQUESTING THE DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION TO PRIORITIZE FUNDING TO WIDEN KUAKINI HIGHWAY BETWEEN HENRY STREET AND KAMEHAMEHA III ROAD ON HAWAII ISLAND.

 

 

     WHEREAS, vehicle traffic on Kuakini highway between Lako street and Kamehameha III road on Hawai‘i island typically causes traffic jams lasting several consecutive hours in the mornings and evenings; and

 

     WHEREAS, North Kona's population spiked by almost four thousand people to nearly forty-two thousand total from 2010 through 2016, causing additional traffic on Kuakini highway; and

 

     WHEREAS, relieving the bottleneck where the Queen Kaahumanu and Kuakini highways merge by widening the roughly 1.7-mile stretch of Kuakini highway between the highway's intersections at Lako street and Kamehameha III road is necessary for the community's safety because of the amount of traffic that moves through that area; and

 

     WHEREAS, widening Kuakini highway to make an additional lane may cost tens of millions of dollars, in part, because of the need to acquire surrounding property; and

 

     WHEREAS, the federal government altered its priorities toward the maintenance and safety of existing roadways rather than the construction of new roadways; and

 

     WHEREAS, the State has also modified its priorities toward maintenance and safety of existing roadways as federal funding is applicable and necessary for completion of the Kuakini highway widening project; and

 

     WHEREAS, easing traffic at one of Kona's most frustrating pinch points on Kuakini highway between Henry street and Kamehameha III road is in the best safety and public welfare interests of the State; now, therefore,

 

     BE IT RESOLVED by the Senate of the Thirtieth Legislature of the State of Hawaii, Regular Session of 2019, the House of Representatives concurring, that the Department of Transportation is requested to prioritize funding to widen Kuakini highway between Henry street and Kamehameha III road on Hawai‘i island and to consider a continuous four-lane highway in the area; and

 

     BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that certified copies of this Concurrent Resolution be transmitted to the Director of Transportation and Mayor of the County of Hawai‘i.

Report Title:

Department of Transportation; Kuakini Highway; Widening; Hawaii Island