Draft study completed for mauka move of vulnerable portion of Honoapi‘ilani Highway

About a 6-mile segment of Honoapi‘ilani Highway from Ukumehame to Launiupoko would be moved mauka, beyond the reach of rising sea levels, to protect a vital roadway to West Maui. Even now, portions of the highway from Pāpalaua Wayside Park to to the Lahaina Bypass are a mere stone’s throw away from the ocean.

Public comments on the project’s draft environmental impact statement are due Feb. 24.

In a forward section to the draft environmental study prepared by consultant WSP USA Inc., project planners say that the draft EIS was started well before the August 2023 wildfire that killed at least 102 and destroyed more than 2,000 buildings in Lahaina.

And, although the wildfires did not directly impact the existing highway in the project area, planners nevertheless reassessed plans for the highway realignment in light of the community’s recovery from the disaster.

The state Department of Transportation and Federal Highways Administration “understand that all of Maui, and West Maui in particular, continues to struggle in the aftermath of the disaster and that the focus is to regroup, provide residents with housing, and rebuild homes, businesses, and communities.”

Moving forward, the state DOT “believes that continuing to plan the project is part of the state of Hawaiʻi’s commitment to the larger Lahaina rebuilding effort and a helpful step forward. A sustainable and resilient transportation system designed in anticipation of climate change and sea-level rise would benefit the whole community — this is now more urgent than ever. Because Honoapiʻilani Highway is a vulnerable link in the transportation system that connects West Maui to resources and ʻohana on other parts of the island, the project supports long-term Lahaina rebuilding efforts.”

The draft EIS notes that, over the past 10 years, “Honoapiʻilani Highway has been repaired three times after storm and high-wave events undermined pavement sections and overtopped the highway, making the roadway impassable.”

Repairs were made, but these were only “short-term fixes,” the study says, because “they address only the most severe locations where Honoapiʻilani Highway is already undermined.”

The need for the project stems from climate change and sea-level rise, and the harm already being caused to the highway.

Fifty-one percent of the Olowalu and 73% of the Ukumehame portions of the project are in the projected 3.2-foot reach of rising sea levels, as defined by the Hawaiʻi Climate Change Mitigation and Adaptation Commission and the Hawaiʻi Department of Land and Natural Resources.

The preferred new highway alignment is a combination of “build alternative 1” in Ukumehame and “build alternative 2” in Olowalu, which provides the best overall alignment, according to project planners. However, the study identified “certain adverse effects on cultural resources.”

But project planners have refined the project route to “avoid and minimize these adverse effects.”

The final design and design-build process will allow more opportunities to optimize construction, lower costs and minimize environmental impacts, the study says.

The preliminary preferred project alternative’s cost is estimated at $160.8 million. Project planners expect to complete the final environmental impact statement by this summer, followed by a year to select a design-build contractor. Construction should take about four years. So, the relocated highway could be complete and operational by 2030.

The project alternatives studied in the draft environmental impact statement included a “no build” alternative and four build alternatives. These are in distinct segments in Olowalu and Ukumehame. Also, the potential adverse effects on the natural and human environment have been assessed. The study was prepared to comply with both state and federal environmental review regulations.

Two public hearings are scheduled for the project:

• An in-person hearing is scheduled from 5 to 8 p.m. Jan. 23 at the Lahainaluna High School cafeteria, located at 980 Lahainaluna Road.
• A virtual public hearing will be held from 5 to 8 p.m. Jan. 28 via Zoom at: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/86860732576.

The draft EIS can been reviewed by clicking here.

Public comments can be sent via regular mail to project engineer Ken Tatsuguchi of the state Department of Transportation’s Planning Branch at 869 Punchbowl St., Room 301, Honolulu 96813. Or, via email to ken.tatsuguchi@hawaii.gov or honoapiilanieis@online.wspis.com. The project’s website is at https://www.honoapiilanihwyimprovements.com/.