RES 082 Draft 01 2016-2018 - Laserfiche WebLink

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WHEREAS, Highway 130 has been under threat of nearby lava flows since 2014, and the safety of the residents and visitors of Puna is currently being compromised by a lack of alternative emergency access routes to Highway 130; and WHEREAS, the issuance of funds authorized by the State legislature in the amount of $15,000,000 for "construction for the repair and maintenance of feeder roads and alternate routes for Highway 130" is a preemptive and protective action that will save lives and protect the health, safety, and livelihood of Puna residents; and WHEREAS, the mission of the State Department of Transportation is "To provide a safe, efficient, accessible, and sustainable inter -modal transportation system that ensures the mobility of people and goods, and enhances and/or preserves economic prosperity and the quality of life."; and WHEREAS, the Department of Transportation intends to reclassify the capital improvement project for Highway 130 to a "capacity project" instead of a "health and safety project," wherein the project would be considered a lower priority; and WHEREAS, Article IX, Section 1, of the Constitution of the State of Hawaii proclaims that "The State shall provide for the protection and promotion of the public health."; and WHEREAS, the appropriation for the capital improvement project for Highway 130 will expire on June 30, 2017, if it is not expeditiously utilized; now, therefore, BE IT RESOLVED BY THE COUNCIL OF THE COUNTY OF HAWAII that it hereby urges the Department of Transportation to classify the capital improvement project for Highway 130 as a top priority and to issue the $15,000,000 for the project to the County of Hawaii Department of Public Works before it expires on June 30, 2017. BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Director of the Department of Transportation is also urged to keep the capital improvement project for Highway 130 classified as a "health and safety project" and to secure additional funding from the Federal Highway Administration and the Hawaii State Legislature to address the critical need for emergency access routes into and out of Puna. 4