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Let's get the environmental impact statement for the highway between Olowalu and the pali done now.
As I write this, Hawaiian Dredging is on its way to completing Phase 1B2, an extension of the Lahaina bypass from Hokiokio Street to just past Cut Mountain. This segment is 2.7 miles and costs about $38 million. The EIS took about 10 years to complete at a cost of $800,000.
The construction was approved under what is called a "Design Build Bid" and will take approximately 18 months to complete. The bypass can be extended another 4.9 miles to the pali, and using the same price per mile, the cost should be $68 million. This would be a huge benefit for the community. Getting the EIS done is more difficult and time-consuming than building the road. We need to get the EIS started now.
The existing highway is falling into the ocean and is an environmental disaster that increases coastal erosion and pollution daily. As erosion occurs, the road becomes impassable and a safety risk, and then the state Transportation Department will step in and make emergency repairs that usually involve hardening of the shoreline.
If the bypass was extended to the pali, it would draw traffic away from the coast, negating the necessity for constant emergency repairs and creating a quietness along the ocean. We need to act now to avoid more environmental damage and the permanent shoreline hardening.
I met with Donald Smith, Maui district engineer for the state DOT, a few months ago. He recommended that I read the Federal Highway 2035 Transportation Plan for the District of Maui completed in July 2014; all 435 pages.
Within the transportation plan, it estimates that the West Maui community will grow the fastest of all communities on Maui: An estimated 16,530 additional residents by 2035, that's an 81 percent increase. Currently, 39,000 cars travel Honoapiilani Highway every day and that number is expected to grow to 51,000 cars by 2035, only 18 years away.
We need to get started on the EIS for the alignment between Olowalu and the pali now. The original EIS for the bypass was initiated in the 1970s and took over 30 years, and that was just to select an alignment for part of the bypass. If we can get the EIS for the next phase completed, we can be ready to work on funding the $68 million needed to build the highway. No EIS equals no funds and no highway.
I believe the private sector could complete the EIS for approximately $500,000 and in a shorter time frame. We could start figuring out the money for construction concurrently with the EIS process and be closer to shovel ready once it is completed.
I have a hunch people are going to say, "What about Honoapiilani Highway to Maalaea?" Initially, the 2011 estimates were over $600 million to build a highway from the pali to Maalaea, so the amount is too large to tackle now. Most days, the pali highway can handle the flow because there is not much "friction" along the road between Maalaea and Ukumehame except on whale, accident and fire days.
The highway's friction along the coastal routes is caused by traffic lights, turnouts without pockets and surfers scurrying across the street. These obstacles reduce the carrying capacity of the two-lane road. If we could focus on the section from Olowalu to the pali, we would see a huge improvement in traffic flow.
I am proposing that, as a community, we form a nonprofit and spearhead the EIS; don't wait for government. We can ask stakeholders, such as hotels, businesses and private individuals, to invest financially to complete the EIS and to get the project started.
Today, one trip is hard enough being stuck in traffic for hours, but tomorrow, if we work together and collaborate as a community, we can get the EIS done. Contact me if you want to be part of the solution at peter@westmauiland.com.
* Peter Martin is the owner of Hope Builders and vice president of West Maui Land.