HILO — The Hawaii Department of Transportation is evaluating workaround measures to increase the capacity of Highway 130. ADVERTISING HILO — The Hawaii Department of Transportation is evaluating workaround measures to increase the capacity of Highway 130. State plans to
HILO — The Hawaii Department of Transportation is evaluating workaround measures to increase the capacity of Highway 130.
State plans to widen the highway and create four lanes from Keaau to Pahoa were pushed back indefinitely in July as the DOT shifted resources away from capacity projects and into maintenance ones.
The DOT is now looking into “re-striping and re-signing (Highway 130) to safely add capacity,” department spokeswoman Shelly Kunishige wrote in an email to the Tribune-Herald.
State Highways Division Deputy Director Ed Sniffen previously told the Honolulu Star-Advertiser that the re-striping would create four 11-foot lanes with two 5-foot shoulders.
State Sen. Russell Ruderman said he had heard about the proposal but had not been contacted by DOT.
Four lanes “would be wonderful,” he said. “It’s still not going to be safe to ride your bike or walk.”
Safety concerns were high on state Rep. Joy San Buenaventura’s priority list as well.
“If they’re just going to re-stripe, then the sight distance would be narrowed … and we’re talking about the most dangerous portion of the state highway system,” she said. “If we reduce the sight distance for drivers, then we increase accidents.”
San Buenaventura said she planned to work with the DOT to figure out the best solution for Highway 130.
Kunishige said the feasibility study for re-striping would be completed within a month.
“If the project is deemed feasible, HDOT can provide a timeline and estimated cost for implementation,” she said.
The decision to defer capacity projects came after a proposed three-cent fuel tax hike and increases in vehicle registration fees were voted down during this year’s legislative session. The increases would have raised $70 million annually for DOT projects. Legislators instead approved $37 million for one year.
The Highway 130 widening project was developed over about 10 years. It was expected to begin construction in 2018.
A widening project from Keaau to Shower Drive has been completed, along with a roundabout in Pahoa, but traffic jams are a fact of life for Puna residents.
Ruderman said the deferral brought a sense of betrayal for residents and that he had not been told previously that the DOT did not have enough money for the projects.
Puna is the fastest-growing district in the state, and Hawaii Island itself is expected to see a 62 percent population increase between 2007 and 2035, according to a state highways plan.
Email Ivy Ashe at iashe@hawaiitribune-herald.com.
