$25M Līloa Dr. Extension is part of long-discussed Kīhei North-South Collector Road

The County of Maui released further details about a $25 million federal grant announced earlier this week that will fund the proposed Līloa Drive Extension. The work is part of the first phase of a north segment of the long-discussed Kīhei North-South Collector Road.

The funds are from the Biden-Harris Administration’s Investing in America Agenda and are part of the Rebuilding American Infrastructure with Sustainability and Equity (RAISE) discretionary grant program.

“This federal grant will help move forward a long-awaited improvement project that will serve as the Kīhei North-South Collector Road and help to address traffic congestion in South Maui,” said Mayor Richard Bissen in a news release. “We appreciate the support of US Senator Brian Schatz in advancing this critical project.”

County of Maui Director of Public Works Jordan Molina recognized the department’s engineering staff, as well as the Hawaiʻi Department of Transportation and Hawaiʻi Community Foundation, for work that went into submission of the grant application.

“This project is intended to help relieve traffic congestion in South Maui, and we appreciate receiving the RAISE grant funding for an important need. The efforts of our departmentʻs team, the state Department of Transportation and Hawaiʻi Community Foundation contributed to our success in receiving the grant award,” Molina said. 

The Līloa Drive Extension project will extend the road 2,900 lineal feet from the area of East Waipuʻilani Road to the area of Kaʻonoʻulu Street in Kīhei. 

Plans call for a two-lane roadway and landscaped shared-use paths for pedestrians and bicycles. The project also proposes three roundabouts at the intersections of Līloa Drive and Waipuʻilani Road, Kūlanihākoʻi Street and Kaʻonoʻulu Street, and two bridges at Kūlanihākoʻi Gulch and Waipuʻilani Gulch, according to county documents. Retaining walls, fencing, railings, street lights and storm drain systems are other features.

Environmental review and permit approvals are expected to be required for the project, which is projected to begin with construction in 2025.

The first phase of the project goes from East Waipuʻilani Road to Kūlanihākoʻi Street, comprising 0.44-mile of the 0.93-mile extension. Phase II design and construction will begin after Phase I is completed and necessary funding is acquired.

The entire Kīhei North-South Collector Road comprises five phases.

Design and permitting started in 2016 for the project, which was included in the South Maui Community Plan adopted in 1998.

“I am pleased with this major investment for South Maui’s transportation infrastructure,” said South Maui, Council member Tom Cook, who holds the seat for the South Maui residency area and chairs the council’s Water and Infrastructure Committee. “Liloa Drive is a critical road segment providing alternative access for residents and emergency vehicles to existing and future residential areas in Kīhei.”

Cook said the project will increase street capacity, alleviate traffic congestion and provide a safe corridor with pedestrian and bicycle facilities across two modern bridge spans.

“This project will also promote roadway safety, especially during the development of affordable and workforce housing in Maui County,” he said. “I look forward to working with Mayor Bissen’s administration to ensure that this much-needed funding will benefit everyone who lives, works or plays in Kīhei.”

More information on the project can be found at liloadriveextension.com.