Laserfiche WebLink
GONZALEZ: Thank you very much for this opportunity. I’ll try and keep my comments brief <br />because I do believe there is a bunch of people from the public that have come here that would like <br />to offer some testimony, so I defer to them and their schedules as well. The Department of Public <br />Works has been coming in, as Daryn depicted, for the mauka portion of La‘aloa Avenue that exists <br />in concept but not on the ground; right now, La‘aloa Avenue stops as the map indicates. And what <br />this application is for is for the mauka portion for a 1,900-foot connection to Kuakini Highway. <br />And then along Kuakini Highway, since that is a State roadway, there is going to be about 1,500 <br />feet of lane work to make that intersection up there acceptable to State standards. And so the <br />purpose of this project in a nutshell is to provide a mauka-makai connector for public safety. It’s <br />going to be envisioned to be utilized as an alternative evacuation route in the event of a disaster. As <br />pointed out, there are only two mauka-makai connectors and nothing in between the 3.5-mile stretch <br />from Kamehameha III Road and Royal Poinciana. So this gives us another link in the puzzle. We <br />view long term that it will improve the traffic circulation in the region. It would also offer better <br />improved response times for our first responders, Police and Fire. And so this has been a longtime <br />coming. There have been a lot of people waiting for some movement on this. And it’s, we are at <br />the stage now where we are ready to proceed with issuing notices to bid, receive bids. And we want <br />to start construction as quickly as possible, but we understand there is a process involved. So that’s <br />why we are here. We are here for the northern portion of La‘aloa Avenue closer to Kuakini <br />Highway. <br /> <br />GIFFIN: Thank you, Brandon. Commissioners, any questions of the applicant? <br /> <br />BEAUDET: I have a question. <br /> <br />GIFFIN: Brandi. <br /> <br />BEAUDET: Is there proposed work to be done on the existing La‘aloa? <br /> <br />GONZALEZ: Yes. As originally envisioned, La‘aloa Avenue there was, to make it consistent, to <br />be a 60-foot right-of-way. There was these improvements for the connection, well, where it meets <br />up with what we are proposing today, right, to make it consistent. There have been community <br />meetings for input. They’ve identified a priority, including things like bike paths, shared use paths. <br />There has been a request for speed humps in the area; that’s incorporated in the overall design on <br />certain portions of La‘aloa. So, yeah, just to answer your question, in general as a whole, there is <br />projected work for the entire length of La‘aloa Avenue, but this application is only for the northern <br />portion. <br /> <br />BEAUDET: Thank you. <br /> <br />GIFFIN: Any other questions of the applicant? Okay, hearing none, thank you, Brandon. Will you <br />and – I’m sorry, I can’t remember your first name. <br /> <br />KANAKA‘OLE: Ryan Kanaka‘ole. <br /> <br />GIFFIN: Ryan. Will you please step back and I will ask -. The staff has received three requests <br />from members of the public. If your name is not, if you don’t hear your name, please come up and <br />tell me. Bob Ward, will you please step forward. Bob Smith, as well, and I think Jose Jazmin, <br />please come forward. Is there anyone else whose name I did not call, who would like to testify? <br />Ma’am, could you please come forward, but we need your name. <br />3 <br />EXHIBIT B <br /> <br />