HomeMy WebLinkAboutCOM 0609.004 2022-2024 P / Cwncil
NI 101
COUNT' CLERK C,OMM.609
COUNTY OF HAW A;
l ?3 DEC 19 AM _ 32
To all Hawaii County Council Members:
I urge all of you to vote in favor of Bill 107. An alternate route for Puna to travel to Hilo is NOT a luxury
item that can wait until the County&State have the resources to build. It was a necessity 10 years ago,
now it is an emergency that must be finished ASAP.
I live in Hawaiian Beaches. If I need to be in Hilo at 8 AM, I must leave my house no later than 6:30 AM.
That is 1 hour,30 minutes to travel 22 miles. Even New York City has faster travel times than Hawaii
County. If I leave any later, I will not get to Hilo until 8:30 AM or later.And this is with the contra flow
lane Hilo bound in the mornings. Coming home in the afternoon, it can take 2 hours or longer to travel
the same distance.The light at Shipman Park backs traffic up sometimes beyond Puainako Street.
Traveling down Rt. 130 is just bumper to bumper cars. The traffic starts to break up a bit as you approach
Hawaiian Paradise Park. But once you get through there,traffic comes to a very slow crawl because of
the roundabout in Ainaloa.That is a disaster.While the roundabout has made it easier for the residents
there to enter Rt 130 & lessened the accident rate, it has created a virtual parking lot. It can sometimes
take 20-30 minutes just to get through that roundabout.The roundabout in Pahoa only backs up at the
school arrival &dismissal times. It is rather timely to negotiate.
Several years ago, I had a heart attack. While the ambulance arrived in a timely manner, my trip to Hilo
Medical Center was anything but. I remember the traffic was really heavy& not all cars move out of the
way.When the ambulance came close to Shower drive, it came to a complete stop.There was road •
construction at Shower Dr. &there was no where for the ambulance to travel.We had to wait until a
path could be cleared. I remember the frustration of the EMT's as they navigated through this area. I was
lucky&had a good outcome. But what if that had been a stroke victim where every second counts?That
traffic delay could've been the difference between life&death.That is completely unacceptable.
There have been multiple times that my husband &daughter have been several hours late coming home
from work because the road is closed due to an accident&there is NO other way around. If the accident
is past Ainaloa,you're just stuck. If fire or police are needed,there is a real possibility they can't get
through.
There are approximately 40-50 thousand people now living in Puna.We have 1, 2 lane road (most of it)
going to Hilo. Many of the subdivisions here only have one road in/out. Government Beach Road only
counts if you have a 4-wheel drive vehicle. It is not passable with a regular car.With only 1 access road
for each of these subdivisions: Leilani, Black Sand, Nanawale, Hawaiian Beaches/Shores, leading to a
small 2 lane road,escaping this area due to a natural disaster will never be a reality. I know already that
if anything happens, I'm toast.There is no point even trying to leave.
The fastest way to eliminate the danger is to pave&open Railroad Ave. It may not be the best choice,
but it gives the residents in lower Puna a fighting chance at least. It would be a big help to the
emergency vehicles that have to navigate this nightmare traffic.
Mahalo for your consideration &please vote yes for Bill 107, f'
Suzanne Frey Comm. . I .µ
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