RESOLUTION

WHEREAS, commuter vehicles sometimes speed on a residential streets in Spreckelsville, Maui, during afternoon rush hour to avoid back-to-back traffic on nearby Hana Highway; and

WHEREAS, residents traveling along Hana Highway through Paia say they have noticed a drastic change in the pace of traffic over the past eight years, making what was once a ten minute drive turn into a thirty minute wait in back-to-back traffic congestion extending more than a mile; and

WHEREAS, the traffic congestion is increased by the heightened awareness of Paia as a visitor destination and a growing interest in visiting surfing areas north of the town, such as Hookipa Beach Park and "Jaws" in Peahi; and

WHEREAS, the Department of Transportation has plans to construct the Paia bypass highway in order to reduce traffic; and

WHEREAS, Act 41, Session Laws of Hawaii 2004, the Supplemental Budget Appropriations Act of 2004, made an appropriation in TRN531 item 71 for plans, design, and construction for alternative traffic improvements in the vicinity of Paia town; and

WHEREAS, the appropriation was deemed necessary to qualify for federal aid financing and/or reimbursement; and

WHEREAS, Act 41 appropriated for fiscal year 2003-2004 the sum of $100,000 for plans and $1,500,000 for design, and for fiscal year 2004-2005 the sum of $37,500,000 for construction; and

WHEREAS, work on the project still has not begun; and

WHEREAS, the consensus of opinion is that the bypass should be completed as quickly as possible because an urgent need presently exists; and

WHEREAS, the Department of Transportation had originally planned for the completion of the bypass in 2017 which was moved up to 2012, which is still much too long; now, therefore,

BE IT RESOLVED by the Senate of the Twenty-third Legislature of the State of Hawaii, Regular Session of 2006, the House of Representatives concurring, that the Department of Transportation is requested to expedite the construction of the Paia bypass project as a top priority to allow through traffic to get around the bottleneck in Paia town; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Department of Transportation move up the planned completion date of the bypass from 2012; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Department of Transportation periodically conduct public information briefing sessions for area residents and legislators to inform them of the progress of the project; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that certified copies of this Concurrent Resolution be transmitted to the Director of Transportation and the Mayor and Council Chairperson of the County of Maui.

Report Title:

Paia Bypass