Unplugging the Puʻunēnē Avenue bottleneck; relief ahead for Central Maui motorists
The two-lane Puʻunēnē Avenue bottleneck has long been a headache for Central Maui motorists. Traffic slows to a crawl during get-to-school and pau hana times, morning and afternoon, from Wākea Avenue to Kūihelani Highway.
But relief is less than two years away, or — as roadway projects go — just around the corner.
On Tuesday, the long-awaited project got underway with a blessing and groundbreaking ceremony led by state Department of Transportation Director Ed Sniffen. He called the $25.5 million widening of the remaining portion of Puʻunēnē Avenue from two to four lanes a “capacity completion” project.
Sniffen pledged to minimize inconvenience for Maui motorists by notifying them of lane closures at least a week in advance, and he said he would coordinate work with Maui County Department of Public Works Director Jordan Molina to see if there are opportunities to tie in county projects while state work in the area is ongoing.
While the project will increase the roadway’s capacity to handle traffic congestion, it also will include safety enhancements — better street lighting, new concrete sidewalks and multi-use road shoulders. Work includes upgraded traffic signals and drainage improvements.
New sound walls will be built on the southern end of the project to reduce traffic noise for nearby residents.
The project’s projected completion is scheduled for April 2026.
Island dignitaries turn spades of earth to officially begin the Puʻunēnē Avenue widening project. PC: Brian Perry- Kahu Mark Kalawaia uses a ti leaf to bless the Puʻunēnē Avenue widening project during a groundbreaking ceremony on Tuesday in Kahului. PC: Brian Perry
- Len Dempsey (far left) looks on as state Rep. Justin Woodson and state Sen. Troy Hashimoto untie a maile lei during a groundbreaking ceremony Tuesday. Also, participating is Ed Sniffen, director of the state Department of Transportation. PC: Brian Perry
- Motorists make their way Tuesday through the intersection of Puʻunēnē Avenue and Puʻukani Street in Kahului. The intersection will be impacted by the widening of Puʻunēnē Avenue. PC: Brian Perry
- A view looking north at the intersection of Puʻunēnē Avenue and Puʻukani Street. PC: Brian Perry
On hand for the blessing were House District 9 Rep. Justin Woodson (Kahului, Puʻunēnē, portion of Wailuku) and District 5 Sen. Troy Hashimoto (Wailuku, Kahului, Waiheʻe, Waikapū Mauka, Waiehu).
Woodson said that when he learned in an email of Tuesday’s project groundbreaking, “I literally jumped out of my seat; I was so happy.”
Puʻunēnē Avenue is such a critical Central Maui roadway that it impacts all of Maui, he said. “It’s a quality of life issue.”
Hashimoto said that while Oʻahu residents might not believe Maui has any significant amount of traffic congestion in comparison, traffic is one of the “biggest issues” for Maui residents. “This Puʻunēnē project is very, very important; and something we’ve been pushing for a long time,” he said.
Hawaiian Dredging Construction Co. is the project’s general contractor. Sub-contractors include: Affiliated Construction, GP Roadway Solutions, Maui Kupono Builders, South Pacific Steel Corp., Tom’s Backhoe and Excavation Co., Kīhei Gardens & Landscaping Co., Elite Concrete, Lite Electric and SF Masonry.
The project’s design firm is Wilson Okamoto Corp.
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