After more than a year of development, the upper Puna connectivity plan was presented to the Hawaii County Council’s Committee on Public Works and Parks and Recreation during its Tuesday meeting.
After more than a year of development, the upper Puna connectivity plan was presented to the Hawaii County Council’s Committee on Public Works and Parks and Recreation during its Tuesday meeting.
The plan, created by an ad hoc committee formed last August at the request of council member Greggor Ilagan, is an attempt to solve one of the thorniest problems in the district: access between subdivisions.
The subdivisions were built in vacuums from one another. Linking the areas to create additional emergency routes was a stated priority of the Puna Community Development Plan when it was published in 2008.
“Anyone in the early morning or pau hana rush hour traffic on Highway 11 realizes the urgency of having some alternate ways of getting out of our situation,” said ad hoc committee member Marlene Hapai, who presented the plan along with fellow ad hoc committee member Patti Pinto. There are 21 separately recognized subdivisions in Puna, Hapai said.
John Olson, former CDP chairman, offered additional U.S. Census data during his testimony, pointing out that Puna is the most populous district on the island and is expected to have between 65,000 and 70,000 residents by 2020.
“In terms of economic development, health and safety … connectivity, connectivity, connectivity,” he said. “We have to have the infrastructure.”
The plan does not create a “beeline highway” from Volcano to Keaau, Hapai said, but instead uses a staggered system of connections to link the subdivisions.
Most of the connections are in existing road beds that would need to be extended or upgraded to accommodate traffic.
Pinto said that in some cases, such as the connection of Kopua Farm Lots and Fern Acres, landowners are comfortable with the county taking a land easement. In other cases, existing roads that are poorly maintained would be developed.
Patrice Macdonald, chairwoman of the Hawaiian Acres connectivity committee, said she was uncomfortable weighing in on the new plan because the ad hoc committee’s routes were different from what groups such as hers had worked on since the CDP was released.
“Since nobody knows about the new routes, we would like to reserve judgment on this,” she said.
Macdonald said more people supported connectivity routes through Orchidland, not Hawaiian Acres.
Orchidland already spent more than $180,000 upgrading some of its roads, but ran out of money before it could complete its paving.
“We know we’re in an ideal spot, but we don’t want to be inundated, and there’s also the question of who’s going to maintain the road,” said Orchidland Community Association president Steve Lyon. “We realize where we’re located, and it’s … necessary to have (access for) those emergency vehicles.”
Bill Hansen, representing Hawaii County Civil Defense, said the agency was in support of the plan because it would improve emergency access. The current situation “creates a safety concern when it comes to Civil Defense’s ability to respond.”
Hannah Hedrick of Fern Forest said she liked the prepared report “very much” and thanked the council for considering the situation.
“We have not really, except related to emergencies (like lava) … seen much action,” she said.
Because Tuesday was the first time many committee members saw the plan, a vote was postponed to the next meeting Oct. 18. If approved then, it will be sent to the full council for discussion and consideration.
Email Ivy Ashe at iashe@hawaiitribune-herald.com.