Traffic relief for Puna

Wednesday, November 11, 2009

Traffic relief for Puna

Posted on 12:26 PM by taloot

Work to widen Highway 130 begins in about 15 months

Two more lanes will be added to Highway 130 as part of a $14 million state plan to improve motorists' safety and reduce traffic congestion in lower Puna.

A 2.3-mile section of the highway, also known as the Keaau-Pahoa Road, will be widened from the Keaau Bypass Road south to the Shower/Pohaku drive intersection, according to a draft environmental assessment of the project.

Work converting the temporary, makai-side shoulder lane into a permanent lane and building a mauka-side commuter lane should start in February 2011 and take two years to complete, according to a draft EA.

There's a Dec. 8 deadline to provide input on the project. Comments should be sent to: the state Department of Transportation, 869 Punchbowl St., Honolulu, HI 96813, attention Emilio Barroga; as well as John Sakaguchi of Wilson Okamoto Corp., 1907 Beretania St., Suite 400, Honolulu, HI 96826.

The EA work is costing about $50,000, Sakaguchi said.

The state DOT and the federal government are paying for the highway improvements, which will include increased flood control.

The project will shorten travel times, reduce road closures due to flooding, and create a "positive impact on the economic and social welfare of the community," according to the draft EA.

In 1996, about 19,700 vehicles were being driven along the road section daily. By 2007, that number had jumped to 25,200, according to draft EA.

That traffic prompted the DOT in 1996 to build the temporary shoulder lane. Although restricted to use between 6 a.m. and 8 a.m., motorists are driving on it "throughout the day as a travel lane," preventing use by bicyclists and pedestrians, the draft EA states.

To improve conditions, the state will start by removing the existing 8-foot-wide, southbound shoulder lane on the mauka side of the road. It will be replaced with a temporary, 10-foot-wide lane and 2-foot-wide paved shoulder.

The widened area will serve as an extra commuter lane, but only between 3 p.m. and 6 p.m. During those times, the speed limit for both the commuter lane and the regular southbound lane will be limited to 45 mph, with maximum speed of 55 mph during other hours, according to the draft EA.

Work will then shift to widening Waipahoehoe Bridge located about 0.4 miles north of Shower Drive. Susceptible to flooding, the 40-foot-wide bridge will become 70 feet wide and get a new culvert to keep water from closing the highway.

Then, the temporary, 10-foot-wide northbound lane will be turned into a permanent, 12-foot-wide lane with an 8-foot-wide paved shoulder. To do that, the state will have to obtain a total of 4.5 acres from eight private landowners and Hawaii County. The added right of way of 10 feet to 20 feet will be needed only on the makai side.

Dozens of utility poles and a water line must be moved to provide room for the wider highway.

"This project is really long overdue," said state Sen. Russell Kokubun, D-Hilo, Puna, Ka'u.

Six alternatives were considered, including bus-only lanes, reusing an existing railroad path and connecting the lower Puna subdivisions. Also examined were several different routes from Hilo to Puna, but they were not considered feasible due to the need to select a route, buy the land and find money to pay for it, according to the EA.

"In the long-run, I really think another route is really called for," Kokubun said.

However, he supports widening the road now because that can be done faster, noting the DOT plans to expand Highway 130 to a full-time four or six lanes.

The project also calls for a traffic signal where the highway intersects Shower/Pohaku drives. One was recommended in 2004 and 2005 traffic studies that found the intersection operating at a level of service F, which is the worst ranking, according to the draft EA.

An alternative roundabout, a type of circular intersection that allows drivers to continue without stopping, was found to be "an infeasible alternative" to a signal light, according to the draft EA.

The state would need an extra 100 feet to 120 feet of right of way to build a four-lane roundabout at the intersection of the highway and Shower/Pohaku drive, according to the draft EA.

Also, motorists are unfamiliar with roundabouts since none exist on Hawaii's rural roads. Building one on Highway 130 would not be compatible with the state's plan to have a four- to six-lane road, it adds.