Honorable Calvin K.Y. Say

Speaker, House of Representatives

Twenty-Second State Legislature

Regular Session of 2004

State of Hawaii

Sir:

Your Committee on Transportation, to which was referred H.R. No. 61 entitled:

begs leave to report as follows:

The purpose of this resolution is to remedy noise and debris problems for residents affected by the H-1 Waimalu Viaduct Freeway Westbound widening project during and after construction.

The Pearl City Neighborhood Board No. 21 and thirteen individuals, representing six impacted households, submitted testimony in support of this resolution. The State Department of Transportation submitted testimony in opposition to this measure.

Your Committee finds that residences adjacent to the construction site are being harmed by noise and debris during the construction period. Furthermore, vandalism of vacant homes bought by the State to facilitate construction has also been a problem. Accordingly, the resolution strongly encourages the Department of Transportation to install permanent safety barriers, install air conditioning units in residences within one hundred yards of the project, immediately remove vacant homes, especially the home gutted by fire in January 2004, and remove homeless people, and address aesthetics issues including trash and graffiti.

Your Committee finds that, according to the Department of Transportation, redesigning and installing permanent barriers would significantly increase costs and delay the project by several years. In addition, Federal Highway Administration regulations do not allow the purchase of air conditioners for private residents on federally funded projects.

Furthermore, your Committee finds that three of the five vacant homes have been demolished, and the fourth and fifth are scheduled to be razed in the immediate future. In other words, removal of the homeless, vandalism, and graffiti are currently being addressed and will be monitored.

Upon further consideration, your Committee has amended this measure to change the request for "permanent" safety barriers to "temporary" safety barriers during the period of construction and to delete the request to install air conditioners in residences.

As affirmed by the record of votes of the members of your Committee on Transportation that is attached to this report, your Committee concurs with the intent and purpose of H.R. No. 61, as amended herein, and recommends its adoption in the form attached hereto as H.R. No. 61, H.D. 1.