The $80 million project to widen Queen Kaahumanu Highway is awaiting sign-offs from the parties that have a stake in how construction is aligned.
The $80 million project to widen Queen Kaahumanu Highway is awaiting sign-offs from the parties that have a stake in how construction is aligned.
Before the mired project can move ahead, a memorandum of agreement must be reviewed and signed by the Federal Highway Administration, the Department of Land and Natural Resources, the National Park Service and the Advisory Council on Historic Preservation.
“The (parties) are still signing off on it,” said Hawaii Department of Transportation spokesman Derek Inoshita. “It is technically a draft, so it cannot be made public.”
Once the memorandum of agreement is signed, “then they’ll be able to push forward,” Inoshita said. “There is no start date yet.”
Inoshita said on Tuesday that he did not know which entities still need to give their approval, but would check. As of Thursday evening, Inoshita had not responded to follow-up calls and emails.
The project will widen the highway from two lanes to four between Kealakehe Parkway and Kona International Airport. The state DOT awarded the project to Goodfellow Bros. six years ago. But the work was held up by bid protests from several unsuccessful contractors, and by review and consultation processes. Concerns about burials and archaeological sites along the expansion route prompted highway planners to realign the the project, reducing to 15 the number of sites that were of concern.
“We are confirming with Federal Highways that they will include stipulations they already agreed to include last year,” said Tammy Duchesne, superintendent of Kaloko-Honokohau National Historic Park, in an email. “We look forward to signing as soon as we can ensure they capture our concerns.”