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Testimony at Hawaii County Council Re: New Intersection For Keaau Gateway <br />David Miranda <br />RECEMO ''"+ Volcano, Hawaii <br />E1me..__�____ j-'''''' 967 -7653 <br />Dote <br />County Council <br />Mmm. No. •�� <br />Fi I e No. <br />Ref, To, <br />ktif. uatn Q 1 2000 <br />Good afternoon members of the Council. Thank you for allowing me to address an <br />issue which is of great concern to me and I'm sure many other Puna residents which is the <br />proposed intersection that would service Shipman's Keaau Gateway project. I have no doubts the <br />project will satisfy some of the needs of the various Puna communities and even those of Ka'u, <br />however, the decision to allow another major intersection and traffic light needs to be rethought. <br />I commute a distance of forty miles from my home in Volcano to work every morning. <br />Then repeat that going home in the afternoon. It takes an hour in each direction and usually <br />longer in the afternoon. A total of eighty miles every day except perhaps on the weekend. <br />There are eleven traffic lights between Keaau and the bridge crossing Wailuku River as you leave <br />Hilo. They all seem to be reasonably placed but adding another light near Keaau serves no other <br />purpose except commercial interest. The flow of traffic leaving Hilo for the outlying districts of <br />Puna and Ka'u needs to be facilitated not impaired. The Keaau bypass is supposed to help but its <br />far from perfect and is often dangerous especially in bad weather. Traffic moves at high speed on <br />this part of Highway 1 I and everyone is anxious to get to there destination especially if its forty to <br />sixty or more miles away. Shipman and the state should not be allowed to add to this frustration. <br />I would suggest that the County insist that both Shipman and the State reconsider their <br />plan and instead focus on improving the Keaau bypass as well as modifying and upgrading the <br />existing Keaau -Pahoa Highway intersection. People will utilize the Gateway project for what it <br />provides to their families and community and not because it is easy to get in or out of a parking <br />lot. Make it easy and convenient for us to get our kids to school and pick them up each day. <br />Don't allow it to become a daily trial and obstacle course. <br />Thank you for your time. <br />