A proposal to improve road safety outside a Pahoa charter school is still a long way from fruition.
The Hawaii Academy of Arts and Science, whose primary campus is located just off of Highway 130 in Pahoa, has a long-gestating plan to consolidate its facilities within that single 24-acre parcel. But because of the increased traffic the consolidation would bring, the school is first trying to determine how to safely accommodate the extra vehicles — without contributing to the area’s frequent traffic congestion.
“We don’t want to just build a school and screw everything up,” said HAAS Principal Steve Hirakami.
Last year, Hirakami had said HAAS was developing a traffic plan for the intersection of Highway 130 and Homestead Road, the private road on which the school is located, just south of the Pahoa roundabout.
Possible road improvements to make the intersection safer for increased traffic could include new turn lanes, a traffic signal or additional entrances to the school property from the highway.
Hirakami said last week that traffic plan has “taken forever” to complete, and has not yet been submitted to the state Department of Transportation for its recommendations.
“They could recommend a roundabout, they could recommend a traffic light, or they could recommend nothing,” Hirakami said. “But I don’t think they’ll recommend nothing.”
Even once the plan is submitted to DOT, Hirakami said he doesn’t know when their analysis will be complete and predicted that any work is still a long way off.
Hirakami added that any construction activity currently visible on the school site is merely tree removal work being conducted to remove invasive species and to allow for clearer surveys of the area’s topography, and does not indicate that any road construction is imminent.
In any case, Hirakami said that once DOT reviews the document, he can begin the process of seeking the necessary permits from the state and county. Meanwhile, Hirakami said that once the traffic changes are finally complete, the school will begin increasing its own bus fleet.
Email Michael Brestovansky at mbrestovansky@hawaiitribune-herald.com.