STAND. COM. REP. NO. 3447

                                   Honolulu, Hawaii
                                                     , 2000

                                   RE:  S.C.R. No. 125
                                        




Honorable Norman Mizuguchi
President of the Senate
Twentieth State Legislature
Regular Session of 2000
State of Hawaii

Sir:

     Your Committee on Ways and Means, to which was referred
S.C.R. No. 125 entitled:

     "SENATE CONCURRENT RESOLUTION REQUESTING THE DEPARTMENT OF
     TRANSPORTATION TO EXPAND THE CAPACITY OF THE CENTRAL H-1
     FREEWAY CORRIDOR,"

begs leave to report as follows:

     The purpose of this concurrent resolution is to request the
Department of Transportation to expand the capacity of the
central H-1 freeway corridor.

     In addition, this concurrent resolution requests the
Department to explore additional tradeoffs with the Federal
Highway Administration to relax standards as necessary to allow a
"shoulder lane" for peak-hour travel; identify specific
recommendations from the City's Waikiki Regional Traffic Impact
Plan, December 1995, the state Department of Transportation's
Investigation of the Effects of Limited Ramp Closures Along the
H-1 Freeway, December 1999, and other pertinent analyses of the
best means of reducing traffic congestion generated by increased
Waikiki/Ala Moana traffic; and work more closely in formal
workshops, to be scheduled in 2000, with private citizens and
interested groups to consider other options.

     Your Committee finds that there is a need to reduce traffic
congestion on Oahu, which has increased significantly in recent

 
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years, particularly on controlled access facilities such as the
H-1 freeway.  The most effective means of reducing traffic
congestion on this corridor without seriously increasing
automobile passenger trips may be to increase roadway capacity,
such as through the use of high occupancy vehicle (HOV) lanes
that carry more people with less congestion.

     Your Committee further finds that the state Department of
Transportation seeks to increase the capacity of the central H-1
freeway corridor (from the "Middle Street Merge" to the Punahou
or Kapiolani offramp) to address this problem, and has already
conducted several studies of this issue.  Your Committee agrees
that the Department should work towards achieving additional
capacity on the central H-1 freeway corridor to the greatest
extent feasible in order to reduce traffic congestion for Oahu's
motorists.

     As affirmed by the record of votes of the members of your
Committee on Ways and Means that is attached to this report, your
Committee concurs with the intent and purpose of S.C.R. No. 125,
and recommends its adoption.

                                 Respectfully submitted on behalf
                                 of the members of the Committee
                                 on Ways and Means,



                                 ________________________________
                                 CAROL FUKUNAGA, Co-Chair



                                 ________________________________
                                 ANDREW LEVIN, Co-Chair

 
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