County seeking funds for Po‘ipu infrastructure projects

PO‘IPU — The county is taking another crack at a federal grant which would provide $26 million in funding for road projects in Po‘ipu.

The Department of Public Works submitted an application to fund Po‘ipu Road improvements through the Rebuilding American Infrastructure with Sustainability and Equity grant (RAISE) last year, but the proposal was not approved.

“I’m excited that you’re applying for this again, and I’m optimistic with 50% more for the RAISE program that our chances will be better this time,” said Kaua‘i County Councilmember Luke Evslin to the county administration at a presentation of the grant proposal before the council last week. “I do think the primary beneficiaries will be local residents.”

The project would include three new roundabouts, at the intersections of Po‘ipu Road and Koloa Road, Po‘ipu Road at Kiahuna Plantation Drive, and Po‘ipu Road at Ala Kinoiki and Pe‘e Road.

“All three of those intersections have received complaints about safety, and we’re looking forward to improving them,” DPW Chief of Engineering Michael Moule said.

Additionally, the road would also be resurfaced, while left turn lanes, bike lanes, bus shelters, sidewalks, raised medians and crosswalk improvements would be added.

RAISE projects focus on safety, environmental sustainability, quality of life, economic competitiveness and opportunity, innovation and community connectivity.

President Joe Biden’s bipartisan infrastructure bill expanded the number of communities eligible for federal funding, with an emphasis on rural areas like Kaua‘i.

A meeting with federal government officials led the DPW to believe that the grant had a good shot at succeeding.

“The characteristics were very highly rated,” said Moule. “For the most part, they recommended that we stick to the main project details. Overall they had overwhelmingly positive comments.”

In 2016, the county received more than $13 million in federal funding through the Transportation Investment Generating Economic Recovery (TIGER) grant program for road improvements in Lihu‘e.

“We showed that we were able to accomplish what we needed to do on the TIGER grant, and I hope that gives us a little more credibility,” said Council Chair Arryl Kaneshiro.

While rural areas are not required to match funds provided by the federal government for the RAISE grant, the county’s application says that Kaua‘i would provide a 10% match of funding to show that “they have skin in the game.”

Funding the Po‘ipu Road project through a RAISE grant would make funding other projects easier, DPW reported.

Currently, the county has several federal aid Statewide Transportation Improvement Program (STIP) projects, including the Po‘ipu Road project, that appear to be going over budget due to rising construction costs.

Covering the Po‘ipu Road project through the grant would free up funding for these other STIP projects.

In her public testimony, Roslyn Cummings expressed concerns about the traffic around Koloa, and advocated for developers to contribute to construction projects.

“A lot of the reason why we need to update this infrastructure is because of development,” she said. “So where do developers put in their kuleana?”

Evslin advocated for resorts to pitch in to maintain plantings on center medians or roundabouts because they would be “big beneficiaries of the improvements.”

The final design process began in August 2021, and DPW anticipates the final design plans coming in in the next few weeks.

Federal funds would be obligated by April 2023 and construction could begin in December 2023.

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Guthrie Scrimgeour, reporter, can be reached at 647-0329 or gscrimgeour@thegardenisland.com.