A combination bus hub and library planned to be built in Pahoa is on track to begin construction next year.
A 9.5-acre parcel between the Pahoa Marketplace and the Puna Kai Shopping Center will be developed as a nexus for a “hub and spoke” public transportation network in Puna.
Through that network, the transit hub will allow Puna residents to easily transfer from bus routes traveling between Hilo and Puna to local bus routes circulating throughout various Puna subdivisions and vice versa.
Meanwhile, the hub also will be home to a new public library, something Pahoa residents have been clamoring for, considering that the nearest public library for residents is at the Pahoa High and Intermediate School, which is subject to school hours.
The final environmental assessment for the project was published Tuesday in the state’s Environmental Notice. That document found that the project will have no significant environmental impact, allowing it to go forward.
The assessment estimated that construction could begin in 2025, after the permitting process concludes throughout the remainder of this year. Work could be completed in 2027.
The transit hub and library components of the project have separate funding streams, according to the assessment.
Puna Councilwoman Ashley Kierkiewicz said the project has been added to the county’s list of pending capital improvement projects, but added that because it is a joint venture between the county and the state, “we can count on the state to come through with funding.”
“We were going to build the transit hub one way or another, but I think the state saw it as an opportunity for them to piggyback with their own project,” Kierkiewicz said. “It’s a win-win for both of us. I think we’re both spending less doing this project together than either of us would doing them on our own.”
Kierkiewicz also said the project could be eligible for some amount of federal funding.
A previous estimate for the total cost of the bus hub and library was $11 million, although rising costs of materials have likely increased that sum. Kierkiewicz the updated final cost has not been determined.
Nor has a final design been developed yet. However, the assessment includes a preliminary design influenced by community feedback, featuring a community garden, a day care, a space for food trucks and more.
Other potential sites for the project elsewhere along Pahoa Village Road are still listed in the final EA as possible alternate sites for the hub, but community outreach determined that the location between Puna Kai and Pahoa Marketplace was far and away the most preferred.
Email Michael Brestovansky at mbrestovansky at mbrestovansky@hawaiitribune-herald.com.
