HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES	H.R. NO.	156
THIRTY-FIRST LEGISLATURE, 2022
STATE OF HAWAII

HOUSE RESOLUTION

 

 

requesting the department of transportation take all necessary steps to expedite work on the maipalaoa bridge in maili, oahu AND IMPROVE TRAFFIC SIGNAL SUPPORT ON THE WAIANAE COAST AND URGING VARIOUS ENTITIES TO WORK TOGETHER TO IMMEDIATELY OPEN THE SECTION OF THE WAIANAE COAST EMERGENCY ACCESS ROAD SYSTEM EXTENDING PAAKEA ROAD OUT TO LUALUALEI NAVAL ROAD FOR PUBLIC USE ON A PERMANENT BASIS.

 

 

 

     WHEREAS, Farrington Highway is the main route of travel for communities of the Leeward Coast of Oahu and is the only public highway that leads into and out of the region; and

 

     WHEREAS, on a daily basis, frustrated Leeward motorists are caught in gridlock traffic conditions; and

 

     WHEREAS, Farrington Highway has experienced lane closures or complete shutdowns on numerous occasions due to traffic accidents, severe weather, and other emergency conditions; and

 

     WHEREAS, the Maipalaoa Bridge was last reconstructed in 1970 and is severely compromised due to years of deterioration; and

 

     WHEREAS, a contractor was hired to complete the Maipalaoa Bridge project, with an estimated completion date of spring 2022; and

 

WHEREAS, the system of roads known as the Waianae Coast Emergency Access Road System (WCEAR) consists of gated roads that are under the jurisdiction of the Department of Emergency Management of the City and County of Honolulu and can be opened when deemed necessary or when requested by the Honolulu Police Department; and

 

     WHEREAS, in 2017, the Legislature of the State of Hawaii adopted House Resolution No. 125, urging the Department of Transportation to work in conjunction with the Departments of Emergency Management and Transportation Services of the City and County of Honolulu and Honolulu Police Department to analyze and assess the possibility of using the WCEAR on a more permanent basis; and

 

     WHEREAS, this body finds that there is a critical need for an alternate route to bypass the Maipalaoa Bridge construction area to alleviate aforestated circumstances; and

 

     WHEREAS, Honolulu's Joint Traffic Management Center can manage traffic flow conditions, including major and minor congestion and other incidents and events; and

 

     WHEREAS, connecting all of Waianae's vital traffic signals to Honolulu's Joint Traffic Management Center will support a proactive response to traffic operations on the Waianae Coast;

now, therefore,

 

     BE IT RESOLVED by the House of Representatives of the Thirty-first Legislature of the State of Hawaii, Regular Session of 2022, that:

 

     (1)  The Department of Transportation is requested to take all necessary steps to expedite work on the Maipalaoa Bridge in Maili, Oahu;

 

     (2)  The Department of Transportation and City and County of Honolulu's Department of Transportation Services are requested to work together to expedite the connection of all vital traffic signals on the Waianae Coast to the Joint Traffic Management Center;

 

     (3)  The Department of Transportation is requested to allocate additional resources to the Waianae Coast to maintain, repair, and secure traffic signals and sensors in a timely manner; and

 

     (4)  The State of Hawaii, City and County of Honolulu, federal entities, and private land owners are urged to work together to immediately open the section of the Waianae Coast Emergency Access Road System extending Paakea Road out to Lualualei Naval Road to be used as a parallel route for the Waianae Coast on a permanent basis; and

 

     BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that certified copies of this Resolution be transmitted to the Division Administrator of the U.S. Department of Transportation's Federal Highway Administration - Hawaii Division, Commander of Navy Region Hawaii, Governor, Director of Transportation, Director of the Department of Transportation Services of the City and County of Honolulu, Director of the Department of Emergency Management of the City and County of Honolulu, Chief of Police of the Honolulu Police Department, and President of Pine Ridge Farms, Inc.

 

 

 

	OFFERED BY:	_____________________________

Report Title: 

Roads; Waianae Coast; Maipalaoa Bridge; Traffic Signals