THE SENATE |
S.C.R. NO. |
21 |
THIRTY-FIRST LEGISLATURE, 2021 |
S.D. 1 |
|
STATE OF HAWAII |
|
|
|
|
|
|
||
|
SENATE CONCURRENT
RESOLUTION
REQUESTING THE DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION AND KAUAI DEPARTMENT OF PUBLIC WORKS TO CONDUCT A STUDY TO IDENTIFY AND RECOMMEND METHODS TO ALLEVIATE TRAFFIC CONGESTION AT CERTAIN INTERSECTIONS ALONG THE KAUMUALII HIGHWAY.
WHEREAS, the Kaumualii Highway is a thirty-three-mile roadway in the County of Kauai that stretches from the intersection of Kuhio Highway and Rice Street to Lio Road, passing through the communities of Lihue, Omao, Koloa, Kalaheo, and Waimea, among others; and
WHEREAS, Kauai's economy is a combination of agriculture, business, construction, education, state and local government, technology and defense, and tourism; and
WHEREAS, according to a list provided by InfoGroup of the largest employers in the County of Kauai, seventeen of the county's fifty-two largest employers are located in communities near the Kaumualii Highway, including Koloa, Poipu, and Waimea; and
WHEREAS, although not included in InfoGroup's list, the Pacific Missile Range Facility Barking Sands is one of Kauai's largest employers, with nearly one thousand active duty Navy and government personnel, civil service and contract civilians, and Hawaii Air National Guard members employed by the facility, and is located approximately one-fifth of a mile south of the Kaumualii Highway on the western shore of Kauai; and
WHEREAS, according to data provided by Statistical Atlas, Kalaheo has the fourth largest population in Kauai County; and
WHEREAS, according to the United States Census Bureau, the population in Kauai County increased by nearly eight percent between April 1, 2010, and July 1, 2019; and
WHEREAS, according to the 2018 State of Hawaii Data Book, the number of vehicle registrations in the County of Kauai increased by fifteen percent between 2010 and 2018, and the twenty-four-hour traffic volume in certain survey sites in the county increased by approximately ten percent in Waimea and thirteen percent in Omao between 2012 and 2018; and
WHEREAS, the County of Kauai's growing population and the presence of numerous large employers near the Kaumualii Highway necessitate a collaborative effort by the State and county to develop methods to alleviate traffic congestion along, and enhance the reliability of, Kaumualii Highway; now, therefore,
BE IT RESOLVED by the Senate of the Thirty-first Legislature of the State of Hawaii, Regular Session of 2021, the House of Representatives concurring, that the Department of Transportation and Kauai Department of Public Works are requested to conduct a joint study to identify and recommend methods to alleviate traffic congestion at the following intersections located in the County of Kauai:
(1) Kaumualii Highway and Opu Road; and
(2) Kaumualii Highway and Maluhia Road; and
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the study is requested to include a timeline and estimated costs to implement the Department of Transportation and Kauai Department of Public Works' recommendations; and
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Department of Transportation and Kauai Department of Public Works are also requested to submit a joint report of their findings and recommendations, including any proposed legislation, to the Legislature no later than twenty days prior to the convening of the Regular Session of 2023; and
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that certified copies of this Concurrent Resolution be transmitted to the Director of Transportation and County Engineer of the Kauai Department of Public Works.
Department of Transportation; County of Kauai; Public Works; Kaumualii Highway; Traffic Congestion