If the Honoapiilani project receives full funding, construction is expected to begin in late 2024, according to the transportation department. The process will include preparation of a draft environmental impact statement, consultation with stakeholders and experts, public hearings and comment periods, and a final EIS that would go to the governor for consideration in the fall of 2023. Because the planning process is in its early stages, few specific details about the project were available at Tuesday night’s town hall other than that the goal is to protect the highway, likely by moving that 6-mile stretch mauka. The Honoapiilani project is considered a long-term solution, not a quick fix. The Hawaii Department of Transportation has invited the community to a town hall meeting Thursday regarding the proposal to construct improvements to Honoapiilani Highway between Launiupoko and Ukumehame that would address the roadway’s vulnerability to coastal hazards and sea level rise. Various state and county planning documents have called for realigning parts of Honoapiilani Highway because of climate-related hazards.
Over the last decade, the stretch of highway in question has undergone repairs three times due to storm and wave damage. Keeping it open and functional is considered crucial for public safety, commerce, tourism and other transportation needs. The Honoapiilani Highway is the main artery in and out of West Maui. The total cost for design and construction is estimated at $90 million. Officials are focusing on a roughly 6-mile portion of the coast-hugging highway starting at Papalua Beach Park, continuing through Ukumehame and Olowalu, and ending at Launiupoko, at the eastern edge of Lahaina Bypass Road. The next one is Thursday at noon via Zoom. The Hawaii Department of Transportation is hosting a pair of town hall meetings this week for the public to voice opinions and ask questions about how the two-lane highway should be protected.
The scenic Honoapiilani Highway ranks as one of the most threatened highways in Hawaii because of rising sea levels, king tides, storm surges, ocean swells and other coastal hazards fueled by climate change. With $22 million in new federal funding, Hawaii officials are moving forward with long-awaited plans to protect a critical stretch of state highway in West Maui.
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