Hawaii County plans to paint new lines on a portion of Highway 130 to provide four lanes of traffic around the clock, said Public Works Director Frank De Marco.
Hawaii County plans to paint new lines on a portion of Highway 130 to provide four lanes of traffic around the clock, said Public Works Director Frank De Marco.
The 2-mile section stretches from Keaau to Shower Drive, where a shoulder lane has been used since 2015 to alleviate the bottle neck past Keaau High School during rush hour.
The effort won’t involve widening the highway, which the state placed on hold indefinitely because of a lack of funds.
De Marco said the new lanes will be slightly narrower — 11 feet instead of 12 feet — and will include 5-foot shoulders. He said the county will do the work itself, possibly starting this summer, while the state Department of Transportation covers the cost of materials.
“We’re doing what we can to get some relief for the people of Puna,” he said.
DOT spokesman Tim Sakahara was unable to provide comment or confirm the plan by deadline Friday.
But he said that would fit with the state’s current strategy that focuses on “system preservation rather than large capacity projects” because of funding constraints. Another department spokesperson previously said it was studying the idea.
De Marco said he offered Public Works’ help to DOT Deputy Director Ed Sniffen.
Meanwhile, DOT will need to reassess its planning document that covers the postponed widening of the highway to four lanes between Keaau and Pahoa, Sakahara said, citing the time that’s lapsed. The environmental assessment was completed in 2011.
The department continues work on smaller projects, such as installing a traffic signal at the intersection of the highway and Shower Drive, to improve safety. That’s scheduled to be complete late this year.
A roundabout was finished last year where the highway meets Pahoa Village Road.
But the incremental progress is frustrating to Puna residents who have seen their population — and the number of cars on the road — far outpace improvements to infrastructure.
The highway is the only road in and out of lower Puna.
“It gets worse and worse steadily,” said Gary Bricker of Orchidland.
While the restriping plan could help, he said it won’t eliminate a bottleneck on the highway. Bricker said a narrow shoulder could be dangerous for those on bicycles or mopeds.
“I don’t know why it’s done this way,” he said. “We need just basically more planning and less working behind the eight ball.”
DOT officials said last summer they were postponing new “capacity projects,” such as widening highways or building new roads, because of limited funds. The only project to make the cut on Hawaii Island is the latest realignment project for Saddle Road, which is expected to be complete in August.
Email Tom Callis at tcallis@hawaiitribune-herald.com.