Open house about pedestrian crossing for Kūlanihākoʻi High School set for Sept. 22

The Hawaiʻi State Department of Education will share the results of the pedestrian crossing study for Kūlanihāko‘i High School in Kīhei during an open house for parents and community members on Sept. 22 from 4 to 7 p.m. at the Lokelani Intermediate School.

The consultant study team will be available to answer questions and collect public feedback. Evaluations of the alternative Pi‘ilani Highway overpass and underpass crossing proposals will be available, including estimated construction and permitting schedules, project costs and student travel distances.

Attendees will be able to provide input on their crossing preferences.

The new high school is scheduled to open in January to a limited number of ninth-graders. But it canʻt open unless there is an overpass or underpass for pedestrians and cyclists to cross the busy four-lane Piʻilani Highway.

This condition has been in place since 2014, when the state Land Use Commission approved the Department of Education’s request to rezone 77 acres from agriculture to urban for construction of the much-needed school in South Maui.

Maui County has repeatedly said it will not issue a certificate of occupancy for the school until the condition is met or amended.

As part of its commitment to pedestrian safety, the state Department of Education contracted a local third-party consultant to analyze grade-separated crossing options for Pi‘ilani Highway.

Community members also were asked in focus groups and community survey what temporary solutions they thought would work for the safe crossing of children while an overpass or underpass would be in the works.

A $16 million roundabout with only a road-level crosswalk with rapid flashing beacons is expected to be completed by January. The roundabout is at the entrance to the school at the intersection of Piʻilani Highway and residential Kūlanihākoʻi Street.

In a press release, the Department of Education said the goal of the recent crossing analysis is to understand the challenges of providing a safe pedestrian route and to propose a data-driven, feasible solution.

The study incorporates feedback from a public survey and community listening sessions held in August. Additional public input received at this community open house will also be included in the study. Current information regarding this study can be viewed at bit.ly/KiheiHScrossing.