An aerial photo shows the area for the planned extension of Waiale Road. MAUI COUNTY / SHANE TEGARDEN photo

The Maui News

Maui County will receive $25 million in federal funds to help construct the Waiale Road extension, Hawaii U.S. Sen. Brian Schatz and Mayor Michael Victorino announced Monday.

Nearly $50 million in combined grant funding from the U.S. Department of Transportation will go toward projects on Maui and Kauai. The funding was awarded through the highly competitive Rebuilding American Infrastructure with Sustainability and Equity Grant program.

“This is a huge win for Kauai and Maui and our most successful year for big dollar, competitive infrastructure grants,” Schatz said in a news release. “It is rare for any state to get this level of grant funding in a single year, and it will be put to good use by improving roads, bike lanes, sidewalks, and bus stops, connecting communities and making it safer and easier for people to travel.”

The funds will help extend Waiale Road from its current terminus at East Waiko Road southward to Honoapiilani Highway to improve traffic flow in the Waikapu area and provide an alternate route between Kahului and Wailuku. The approximately 8,600-foot extension will include two travel lanes, bike lanes, sidewalks, grass swales and a shared-use path on one side of the roadway.

Bidding on the project is expected to open before the end of 2024, and once construction begins, it will take about 18 months to complete, according to the county. The total project cost is estimated at $34 million, to be funded by county, state and federal sources.

The extended road will also support additional housing, including the Waikapu Country Town project, which is set to provide more than 1,600 housing units in the area.

Earlier this year, Maui County and developer Mike Atherton of Waikapu Properties signed a public-private partnership that would allow Waikapu Country Town to access county infrastructure in exchange for providing more workforce housing. Under the agreement, Maui County must satisfy Waikapu Properties’ required contribution toward the new Central Maui wastewater treatment plant and the extension of Waiale Road.

“Upgrading infrastructure to expedite affordable housing construction for our residents is one of my top priorities,” Victorino said in a news release Monday. “This multimillion-dollar investment in Maui County will improve road safety and alleviate traffic, but more importantly, it will green light construction of 1,666 Central Maui units that residents can afford to rent or purchase.”