Bill Text: HI HR164 | 2020 | Regular Session | Introduced
Bill Title: Requesting That The Department Of Transportation Take All Necessary Steps To Expedite Work On The Maipalaoa Bridge In Maili, Oahu 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.
Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Democrat 14-0)
Status: (Introduced - Dead) 2020-03-11 - Referred to TRN, FIN, referral sheet 40 [HR164 Detail]
Download: Hawaii-2020-HR164-Introduced.html
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HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES |
H.R. NO. |
164 |
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THIRTIETH LEGISLATURE, 2020 |
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STATE OF HAWAII |
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HOUSE RESOLUTION
requesting that the department of transportation take all necessary steps to expedite work on the maipalaoa bridge in maili, oahu 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, traffic conditions continue to worsen as the population along the Leeward Coast continues to increase, and the area is provided with only one route into and out of the community; 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, Farrington Highway is undergoing continuous road work on the Maipalaoa Bridge in Maili on the Leeward Coast of Oahu; and
WHEREAS, the Maipalaoa Bridge was last reconstructed in 1970 and is severely compromised due to years of deterioration; and
WHEREAS, in November 2015, the State of Hawaii awarded a $14,000,000 contract to Performance Systems Inc., to repair the dilapidated Maipalaoa Bridge in Maili; and
WHEREAS, Performance Systems Inc., abandoned the Maipalaoa Bridge project in 2017, after completing only five percent of the project; and
WHEREAS, a new contractor was hired to complete the project, pushing the estimated completion date back to spring 2022; and
WHEREAS, on February 14, 2020, the Department of Transportation announced it would be contraflowing Farrington Highway, which would reduce the highway from four lanes into three, and the result would be extensive traffic congestion for residents exiting and entering the Leeward Coast at all times of the day; and
WHEREAS, the impacts of such lane closures and contraflowing of traffic have created longer commute times and increased traffic congestion for the residents of the Leeward Coast; and
WHEREAS, this traffic congestion also results in delayed response times for first responders and emergency medical services, which puts the health and safety of the residents of the Leeward Coast at risk; and
WHEREAS, the deaths of Richard Takayama and Brandie J. Navarro on January 25, 2020, on the Maipalaoa Bridge highlight the safety concerns in the area; 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 that 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; now, therefore,
BE IT RESOLVED by the House of Representatives of the Thirtieth Legislature of the State of Hawaii, Regular Session of 2020, that:
(1) The Department of Transportation is requested to take all necessary steps to expedite work on the Maipalaoa Bridge in Maili, Oahu; and
(2) 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 secondary access road to the Waianae Coast on a permanent basis; and
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Department of Transportation seriously consider implementing overnight road work to expedite the repair of the Maipalaoa Bridge in Maili, Oahu; 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.
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OFFERED BY: |
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Roads; Waianae Coast Emergency Access Road; Maipalaoa Bridge; Public Use; Expedited Repair Work
