Local News

County lands $25M federal grant to extend Liloa Drive

Project part of North-South Collector Road providing alternate route in Kihei

The Maui News

Maui County has been awarded a $25 million federal grant that will help fund the extension of Liloa Drive as part of the first phase of a north segment of the Kihei North-South Collector Road.

It was one of two projects in Hawaii that received funding under the Rebuilding American Infrastructure with Sustainability and Equity discretionary grant program, also known as RAISE, which awarded more than $2.2 billion to 162 transportation infrastructure projects across the country, according to a county news release. The county Department of Public Works applied in late February for the grant. Awards were announced on Wednesday.

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

The program also awarded $25 million to the Ala Wai Bridge project that will build a 300-foot bridge across the Ala Wai Canal on Oahu, according to the U.S. Department of Transportation.

The Liloa Drive Extension project will extend the road from the area of East Waipuilani Road to the area of Kaonoulu Street in Kihei, according to the county.

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 Liloa Drive and Waipuilani Road, Kulanihakoi Street and Kaonoulu Street and two bridges at Kulanihakoi Gulch and Waipuilani Gulch. Retaining walls, fencing, railings, street lights and storm drain systems are other features of the project.

The first phase of the project goes from East Waipuilani Road to Kulanihakoi 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 county said. The entire Kihei North-South Collector Road comprises five phases.

"This project is intended to help relieve traffic congestion in South Maui, and we appreciate receiving the RAISE grant funding for an important need," said Jordan Molina, director of the county Public Works Department. "The efforts of our department's team, the state Department of Transportation and Hawai'i Community Foundation contributed to our success in receiving the grant award."

Maui County Council Member Tom Cook, who holds the South Maui residency seat, also lauded the federal government funding on Thursday, saying that "Liloa Drive is a critical road segment providing alternative access for residents and emergency vehicles to existing and future residential areas in Kihei."

Cook, who also chairs the council's Water and Infrastructure Committee, 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 in a news release. "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 Kihei."

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

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

For more information on the project, visit liloadriveextension.com.