Stop the waste of millions of dollars of public funds to extend by .44 of a mile Liloa Drive, also known as the North-South Collector Road in Kihei.

Maui Department of Public Works obtained a Raise Grant of $25 million in February 2023 and allocated it to extend Liloa Drive across Waipu’ilani Gulch, a major source of Kihei flooding.

The road is part a decades-old community plan from the 1980s. There are no flood control provisions in its design.

The government needs to reconsider this project. They need to think long range into the future. Maui needs climate resilience. Kihei in 2024 is not the Kihei of the 1980s.

The USDOT report “the project will create a redundancy, and will provide an alternate route away from climate hazard areas.” This is not true. It will not reduce traffic congestion. It will not provide an emergency evacuation route, joining up with Veterans Highway many years in the future at the cost of millions, if the Central Valley is on fire, or be a substitute for South Kihei Road when flooded.

Maui needs funds for fire recovery, affordable housing, flood control and fire mitigation, not a road planned in the 1980s, being extended approximately 2,900 linear feet at the cost of millions. The community would be better served with a modification of the project to not include a two-lane road and auto bridge across Waipu’ilani Gulch, just a pedestrian/bike way. This would greatly reduce the cost, and be an asset for recreation.

Dr. Eric Muller

Kihei