DOT officals tell of Kaua‘i highway, airport plans

State Department of Transportation officials plan to spend millions for improvements at the Lihu‘e Airport and on state highways, the Governor’s Kaua‘i Advisory Committee was told by top DOT officials this week.

Steve Kyono, who heads the DOT Highways Division office on Kaua‘i, reported numerous projects are under construction and design plans and planning are underway for other projects, including two that have generated high public interest.

One is the proposed widening of Kaumuali‘i Highway from two to four lanes from Lihu‘e and Kipu, and the proposed construction of a Kapa‘a highway relief route.

The second project calls for a new two-lane highway from Hanama‘ulu to the Kapa‘a Stream, a distance of nearly 10 miles, and a third bridge over the Wailua River.

The two high-profile projects are intended to greatly ease traffic congestion on roadways through Kapa‘a, Lihu‘e and Puhi. The three communities make up the largest population areas on the island.

The total price tag for both projects could come out to $315 million, and funding has to be sought, Kyono said.

While the Lihu‘e Airport can handle passenger capacities until 2010, plans call for expansion of the air-cargo facility, extension of aprons, more taxiways and improvements at a maintenance baseyard at the airport, reported Brian Sekiguchi, deputy director of Airports Division of the DOT.

When work on the airport and highway projects are completed, airport operations will run smoother, and travel time on Kaua‘i highways will be shortened, officials believe.

Kyono and Sekiguchi gave the updates to provide the committee and the public information on DOT priorities for Kaua‘i. The officials also wanted to hear from residents what they thought the priorities should be. A handful of residents attended the meeting.

For the Kapa‘a relief route, DOT officials and consultants have looked at 40 possible alignments, and have whittled the number down to three, Kyono said.

“It could be one of them, or a combination of the three,” Kyono said. “We are looking at three alignments plus doing nothing, which is unacceptable.”

DOT officials have “finalized the draft EIS (Environmental Impact Statement),” and it will be reviewed by other government agencies and the public, Kyono said.

DOT officials plan to hold a final public hearing on the study, finalize the study and send it to DOT Director Rodney Haraga.

He, in turn, will issue a “record of decision,” reflecting his preference for an alignment, Kyono said.

“We hope to get it done by summer of 2005,” he said.

Dr. Roger Netzer, a physician at Wilcox Hospital, said building the project closer to the mountains in Wailua would be a grave mistake.

In Netzer’s opinion, the site of a concrete ribbon of highway against green mountains and hillsides would be visually repulsive.

Parts of the road would be built high up on cliff areas behind Smith’s Boat along the Wailua River and on cliffs by Wailua Houselots, Netzer said.

“The highway would be a tremendous eyesore … across the most sacred sites of our river,” Netzer said after the meeting. “There are heiau there (in Wailua).”

He said construction of the third bridge higher up toward the mountains would be a mistake. “Two bridges already exist. Why not build the new one closer to them?” Netzer asked.

Kyono said the project presents regulatory and environmental challenges, but noted DOT officials and their consultants welcome the challenges and public input to fashion the best project possible.

Funding for the project has yet to be secured, but it could cost $250 million for the planning, design and construction of the project, Kyono said.

Kyono also said the widening Kaumuali‘i Highway from Lihu‘e to the Kipu Road intersection involves 3 1/2 miles. Consultants have started the design and planning work, and the design work should be done by December 2006.

The project, to be developed at an estimated cost of $65 million, also calls for construction of some grassed and raised concrete, paved median along the road, Kyono said.

Kyono said numerous projects on Kaua‘i have been awarded to contractors, but some companies haven’t been able to start the work yet because they are tied up with other government projects at this time.

One such project is the planned extension of the Kapa‘a bypass road.

The project calls for the construction of a roundabout at the intersection of Olohena Road and Opala Road, which leads to the Kapa‘a transfer station, and the northern end of the current bypass road, Kyono said.

From the planned roundabout, the new road would continue north on an old cane haul road and end in an area just south of Haua‘ala Road at the northern end of Kapa‘a town.

Because DOT officials are concerned about congestion at the intersection of Kawaihau Road and Kuhio Highway, a decision was made to make the bypass extension only a south-bound lane.

A smaller road also is planned to be built from Opala Road to the bypass extension to allow heavy trucks and cars to travel safely onto the new road to get to Kuhio Highway or to the existing bypass road, Kyono said.

The work is to be undertaken by Koga Engineering.

Kyono also reported the status of key, ongoing projects, including:

• DOT’s new centralized home at the Puhi Industrial Park.

Work on the $7. 6-million project is nearly completed, and “we should be moving in two months,” Kyono said.

The facility would allow for consolidation of administrative offices and a maintenance yard, resulting in more efficient use of DOT resources and manpower, Kyono said.

Currently the DOT’s administrative office is located in the state Building, and DOT’s maintenance facility is located nine miles away by the Kapa‘a Armory, Kyono said;

• Resurfacing of Kuhio Highway by Kealia Beach.

The work is just about finished, Kyono said.

But DOT officials plan to issue a change order asking the contractor to remove a refuge lane at the southern end of the highway by the beach and build instead a deceleration lane and an acceleration lane so that northbound motorists can get to the beach or leave the beach more safely, Kyono said.

• Resurfacing of Kaumuali‘i Highway in Mana.

Work started recently and is anticipated to be completed by the end of the year.

Work on projects at the Lihu‘e Airport also has either gotten underway or is about to, said Sekiguchi, who was accompanied by Roy Sakata, acting airports administrator at the Lihu‘e Airport.

The projects include:

• Improvements of heliport facilities at the airport, and re-issuance of bids for the work;

• Replacement of jetway bridges, which passengers walk through to get to planes. The structures need replacing due to corrosion, Sekiguchi said;

• Studies that will be done to look at ways of improving terminal operations, including installation of larger carousels to handle more baggage; Sekiguchi also said the two Transportation Security Administration security lanes may not be enough to accommodate airport users, and a third one might be necessary for “peak travel times.” Sekiguchi also said he understands the need to keep security levels high in light of the terrorism, but some travelers have complained that TSA folks don’t smile enough.

TSA workers at the Honolulu Airport were the same way, but they are friendlier now “because we have been harping on it,” Sekiguchi said.

Committee member Jim Anakalea said security concerns are constant, noting that “This is not a time to be friendly. It is a time to be secure.”

Margy Parker, executive director of the Poipu Beach Resort Association, asked DOT officials and the commission to help out when large groups of passengers become stranded on the island.

Mainland-bound travelers essentially had nowhere to go when an United Airlines’ flight was recently canceled due to mechanical problems with a plane. At the same time, there were few or no hotel rooms available for overnight accommodations for the passengers.

Lester Chang, staff writer, can be reached at 245-3681 (ext. 225) and mailto:lchang@pulitzer.net