James Weatherford for Hawaii County Council District 5

Inevitably, when discussion turns to what to do to make life better in Puna, the Keaau-Pahoa Road is mentioned. Throughout the Puna Community Development Plan this road has been a point of concern. Rightly so. There is a general understanding within the community that ‘Kea`au–Pahoa Road’ is the deadliest public road in the State of Hawai`i. It is for sure the only road in and the only road out.

First, to be perfectly clear: neither the Hawaii County Council nor any other part of Hawaii County government has any authority over the design of Highway 130 – it is a state road. Other than intersections of a few County roads and access to County owned parcels fronting the highway, the prime responsibility Hawaii County government has along the Keaau-Pahoa Road is law enforcement.

Hawaii County Council Resolution 573-08, introduced by Council member Naeole, sought to garner cooperation between the State Department of Transportation and the County Department of Public Works; and, furthermore, to bring that cooperation to focus on the emergency situation at hand on ‘Kea`au–Pahoa Road’.

Has the County DPW taken any initiatives to foster this cooperation? An excellent question for an incumbent Council member to ask of the DPW. Maybe a good one for a journalist to ask? A fine one for a private citizen to ask. The Council member has the best chance of getting the most complete and timely answer. After that, maybe the journalist?

In addition to the County and State, it would also be productive to bring the relevant community associations into the dialogue, sooner rather than later. Several intersections along ‘Pahoa–Kea`au Road’ involve private roads for which private community-based associations have some form of responsibility.

A state of emergency exists on ‘Kea`au–Pahoa Road’; as evidenced by the number of injuries and deaths resulting from collisions.

There is a general understanding within the community that ‘Kea`au–Pahoa Road’ is the deadliest public road in the State of Hawai`i.

According to information from Hawai‘i State Department of Health, of victims of motor vehicle collisions in the state of Hawaii in 2001-2006, “Nearly one third (140, or 30%) were killed in Hawaii County, which is notable since only 13% of the population of the state resides in this county. The 2004 and 2005 fatality totals in Hawaii County exceeded those in Honolulu County.” More current and comprehensive data is being sought and will be included in future posts at jamesweatherford.com.

In the Puna Community Development Plan, the transportation action with highest priority is safety at nine (9) intersections on ‘Kea`au–Pahoa Road’. At every stage of the Puna Community Development Plan the community clearly indicated that widening of ‘Kea`au–Pahoa Road’ was not desirable. I am in agreement with the community.

There is an extreme level of illegal and unsafe driving on the Kea`au – Pahoa Road. It is the County’s responsibility to enforce traffic laws and it is in this area where the County has failed to fulfill its obligation to serve and protect the community.

Widening to relieve congestion? Congestion relief from widening is not a sure thing. There are plentiful cases of experiences where more lanes generate more traffic and congestion returns. Rather than belabor this here, I recommend Google “congestion”, “generated traffic”. There are some very practical alternative solutions to congestion and there is something the Hawaii County Council can do about some of those alternatives. More in later posts on these.

About Railroad Avenue. Almost everyone who first looks at the situation immediately points to this as an alternative (six years ago, me included). However, the right of way is not public for much of the distance, and the road bed itself is not amendable to “paving” without substantial costs. Reliable local sources indicate severe flooding on some parts. Railroad Avenue, as is, is not a feasible option for the standard the County is required to apply in building roads for motor vehicles. Railroad Avenue has been proposed as a pedestrian and bike path, which is desperately needed and can, when necessary, be used by emergency vehicles.

The Puna Community Development Plan website includes several proposals from the community regarding transportation and many other issues.

Here is one submitted by Rob Tucker and one I submitted, both regarding a Puna Parkway; and one I submitted regarding the Plan’s ‘Growth Management’ theme.