Public input sought about highway crossing for new high school in Kīhei

The Hawaiʻi State Department of Education is seeking community input on alternatives for a grade-separated pedestrian crossing at Pi‘ilani Highway to serve the new Kūlanihāko‘i High School being built in Kīhei.

The online survey asking questions about long-term and short-term solutions takes approximately five minutes to complete and is available in English, Spanish, Chuukese and Marshallese at bit.ly/KiheiHScrossing.

A community open house will be held on Thursday, Sept. 22 at the Lokelani Intermediate School cafeteria from 4 to 7 p.m. to share results from the Pedestrian Crossing Alternatives Study. It includes information obtained from five community focus groups during August.

The Department of Education is scrambling to come up with a temporary crossing solution that the state Land Use Commission would approve as an amendment to the required condition of an overpass or underpass. As part of the rezoning process of the school’s land, this condition was put in place nearly a decade ago to open the school.

Maui County said it will not give the school a certificate of occupancy without an amendment to that condition.

The survey has one question that deals with the problem. It states the new high school is preparing to open in January 2023, with an anticipated 3 to 6 years to complete an overpass or underpass. The survey asks what short-term crossing alternatives would be acceptable to open the school before the crossing is completed?

The choices are:

• Bussing/shuttling from a satellite location
• Using the existing roundabout crosswalk as designed with rapid flashing lights
• Mandating vehicle pick-up and drop-off for all students
• Arranging for a Maui Police Department officer or crossing guard at the roundabout crosswalk in morning and afternoon
• Or write is another option

The deadline for survey responses is Sept. 13.

Current information regarding this study can be viewed at bit.ly/KiheiHScrossing.

To read more about the issue, click here.