Work on the second phase of the Hilo Bayfront Trails project began Monday after years of delay.
The first phase of the project was completed in 2016, and connected Mooheau Park, Pauahi Street, the Bayfront canoe hale, and the Bayfront soccer fields.
Since then, however, plans for a second phase, which would consist of two sections connecting the soccer fields to Kilauea Avenue and Pauahi Street to the Kamehameha Avenue entrance of Wailoa River State Recreation Area, have gestated for years.
That changed Monday when initial work began on the first half of Phase 2, connecting the existing soccer field trail from Phase 1 to Kilauea Avenue near the Ponahawai Street intersection.
“I think in the next 30 days, we’ll see a lot of progress, if we get a break in the weather,” said Matthias Kusch, president of Hilo Bayfront Trails Inc., during a Monday drizzle.
Kusch said he hopes that both sections of Phase 2 can be completed by the end of this federal fiscal year, which is Sept. 30. But because both sections are being funded through different sources, he said the start date for construction on the second section is not certain yet.
The soccer field trail has been funded by a $440,000 grant from the National Park Service’s Land and Water Conservation Fund, in addition to about $65,000 from private contributors and $130,000 from the county. The second part of the project, meanwhile, will be funded by about $860,000 in Transportation Alternatives grant funding from the U.S. Department of Transportation.
“DOT has different specifications for their funding, so we’re doing more environmental reviews for that one,” Kusch said.
Although the second part of the phase is shorter than the first, Kusch said it will also include linkages between the trails and nearby parking lots. For instance, when construction begins on the second part of the phase, additional ADA parking spaces will be installed at the county parking lot by Ben Franklin Crafts, as well as an ADA-accessible ramp directly connecting the lot to the trail.
Kusch said the complete second phase will be an example of “recreational and transportation equity” in that people with limited mobility will still be able to take full advantage of the trails.
Ultimately, Kusch said future phases of the project will follow the Waiakea Canal to allow people to walk or bike from the University of Hawaii at Hilo campus to downtown Hilo with only four street crossings.
Kusch said the Bayfront Trails Association, as a volunteer board, had little power on its own to get the project off the ground, and thanked the county administration for lending support for the trails.
Mayor Mitch Roth said Monday that the work to expand the Bayfront Trails ties in with other county initiatives such as “Complete Streets,” wherein county roads are fitted to safely accommodate all manner of transportation.
“We want people out there getting exercise,” Roth said. “I had my heart attack a year ago, so I know that exercise is important. So this is a really great thing for our keiki and our kupuna.”
Email Michael Brestovansky at mbrestovansky@hawaiitribune-herald.com.