SR48

THE SENATE	S.R. NO.	48
TWENTY-THIRD LEGISLATURE, 2006
STATE OF HAWAII

SENATE RESOLUTION

REQUESTING THE DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION TO EXPEDITE THE COMPLETION OF THE LAHAINA BYPASS PROJECT AS A TOP PRIORITY AND, IN COOPERATION WITH THE COUNTY OF MAUI AND STAKEHOLDERS, DEVELOP STRATEGIES TO REDUCE MOTOR VEHICLE USE INTO AND OUT OF LAHAINA ON THE ISLAND OF MAUI.

WHEREAS, Lahaina is situated in West Maui and is a significant economic engine contributing considerable amounts of general excise tax and transient accommodations tax revenues, stemming from tourism activity, to the economy of the State; and

WHEREAS, the distance from central Maui to Lahaina is only twenty-four miles, yet the trip by motor vehicle between the two points easily takes more than one hour; and

WHEREAS, during the whale watching season or during other peak visitor periods, that trip takes considerably longer; and

WHEREAS, the only road into and out of Lahaina is a two-lane, undivided state highway that is being eroded into the ocean in several places; and

WHEREAS, after more than thirty years, the Department of Transportation has yet to begin construction on the long-promised Lahaina Bypass--a nine-mile, four-lane project proposed to be constructed mauka of Honoapiilani Highway from the Launiupoko area to Honokowai; and

WHEREAS, according to the Department of Transportation's current estimates, phase one of the four-phase Lahaina Bypass project, the Lahaina Mini-Bypass, may be done by the second quarter of 2009; and

WHEREAS, the Department of Transportation has also stated that it will take five years to complete an environmental impact statement on the additional two lanes from Maalaea around the Pali to Lahaina; and

WHEREAS, in addition to ensuring a supply-side solution by expediting the completion of the Lahaina Bypass, it is imperative that a complementary demand-side solution be crafted by developing strategies to reduce motor vehicle usage, including reducing the use of visitor rental cars and encouraging residential commuting, on the road into and out of Lahaina; now, therefore,

BE IT RESOLVED by the Senate of the Twenty-third Legislature of the State of Hawaii, Regular Session of 2006, that the Department of Transportation is requested to expedite the construction of the Lahaina Bypass project as a top priority, and to work with developers of housing projects in the vicinity of Honoapiilani Highway to assist with the project financially, to provide dedicated land easements, design, or other services, as well as utilize segments of former cane haul roads that could be resurfaced as a high occupancy vehicle lane into Lahaina during morning and afternoon peak hours; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Department of Transportation is requested, in cooperation with the county of Maui and stakeholders, to develop strategies to reduce motor vehicle use into and out of Lahaina on the island of Maui; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Department of Transportation is requested to submit to the Legislature:

(1) A detailed implementation timeline for the expedited construction and completion of the Lahaina Bypass project, no later than October 1, 2006;

(2) A completed plan containing strategies to reduce motor vehicle use into and out of Lahaina, no later than twenty days prior to the convening of the Regular Session of 2007; and

(3) Monthly progress reports on the status of the Lahaina Bypass project and the motor vehicle use reduction plan, beginning on July 1, 2006; and

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

	OFFERED BY:	_____________________________

Report Title:

Lahaina Bypass; DOT Expedite; Car Use Reduction Plan; Report