30 Day Comment Period Opens on Kahului Airport Access Road

Kahului Airport Access Road Phase 1 rendering. Image courtesy Hawaii DOT, and Munekiyo & Hiraga.

By Wendy Osher

A new road extending from Puunene Avenue to the Kahului Airport is being planned in part to alleviate traffic congestion in Central Maui.

Public comment is now being accepted on Phase I of construction for the proposed Kahului Airport Access Road, which includes a 4,700-foot stretch between Puunene Avenue and the Hana Highway.

An Environmental Assessment was prepared by the Department of Transportation Highway’s Division and is available for review at the Kahului Public Library.

Puunene Ave./Dairy Road intersection in Kahului. Photo by Wendy Osher.

The proposal calls for a new four-lane arterial between Puunene Avenue and Hana Highway with intersections at Dairy Road, Pakaula Street and the Hana Highway.

According to the EA document, the proposed new road is considered a traffic mitigation measure to meet the continuing growth in use and demand at the Kahului Airport; and is intended to improve traffic circulation along nearby roadways such as Dairy Road and Keolani Place.

Phase II of the project is being designed and administered separately by the DOT Airports Division, and includes the area from the Hana Highway to the Kahului Airport.

Three alternatives, including a No-Build option, and road widening, are evaluated.  There are also three alternatives being evaluated for the Hana Highway intersection of the new road to facilitate traffic movement at the location.

Comments can be submitted to Robert Spilker at the state Department of Transportation (650 Palapala Drive, Kahului, HI 96732), with a copy to Munekiyo & Hiraga, Inc. (305 High Street, Suite 104, Wailuku, HI 96793).  The deadline to submit comments is April 23, 2012.