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HomeMy WebLinkAboutCOM 0224.002 2002-2004 Jµ<r o~ M~w~ c:- ` 1~~y Harry Kim : Dixie Kaetsu Mayor Managing Director a.,o.•~•"' Peter Hendricks - -Dep~ty yyQauaging Director ~Cuuntp of ~aboa~i`i " . 25 Aupuni Street, Room 215 • Hilo, Hawaii 96720-4252 • (808) 961-821 l • Far((808) 961-6553 KONA~ 75-5706 Kuakini Highway, Sui[e 103 • Kailua-Kona, Hawaii 96940 (808)329-5226 • Fax (808)326-5663 March 9, 2003 The Honorable Bob Jacobson and Gary Safarik Council Members Hawaii County Council 25 Aupuni Street Hilo, Hawaii 96720 Dear Mr. Jacobson and Mr. Safarik: With this letter, I am transmitting to you a copy of Btuce McClure's report on the Puna Emergency Access Road. His instructions were to assess the situation from a professional engineer's perspective. Any policy decisions on the use of the road, opening of the road, or maintenance not related to safety, will be made by the administration and the County Council. We ask for a meeting with both of you to discuss this report on an informal basig before any decision is made on where to go with the PEAR. Carol will be contacting you to set up a meeting. Al ha, V Harry Kim MAYOR cc: Bruce McClure Comm. No. Ref. Toh Ref. Uate MAY 62-~~ oJNSV.Oe Harry Kim -J ` ~,(~//~'IwF/ Minor Bruce C. McClure :`r ~ ~ i Director ~1TF OF N~`P© ~j~ yy.(.'y ,~yrr ~~yy q Ronald K. Takahashi t',L[~iXLG4U LL .JL(.[.U1 G[.[~[ Deputy Director DEPARTMENT OF (PUBLIC WORKS AUPUNI CENTER 101 Pauatti titreet, Suite? • Hilq Hawaii )6720-4224 (808) 961-8321 • Fax (808) 961-8630 MEMORANDUM DATE: March 5, 2003 TO: Mayor Harry Kim On G , /"mil, ~ FROM: nice C. McClure, P. E., Director SUBJECT: OPENING OF THE PUNA EMERGENCY ACCESS ROAD TO TRAFFIC Backeround Januarv 14, 2003 meetine with Ainaloa Community Association Ivan Torigoe and I met three members of the board and their lawyer, Tom Yeh. The members were President, Philip Abadilla, Vice President, Philip Brazier and Director, William Coney. Their conditions for the road to be opened at all times are that the road must be safe. Januarv 24, 2003 meeting with Iawaiian Acres Ro1d Corporation Ivan Torigoe and I met three members of the board and they presented a letter from the corporation, which said that they passed the following motion: "To take a formal position that the Puna Emergency Access Road be opened for public use and the County be responsible for maintenance and any safety issues." January 29, 2003 field inspection of the road in Hawaiian Acres Casey Yanagihara, Raymond Kodani, Ivan Torigoe and I drove the road through the Hawaiian Acres subdivision. February 12, 2003 field inspection of [he road in Ainaloa Subdivision Ralph Fike and I drove the Ainaloa Boulevard. February 21, 2003 DPW staff repaired the locked Qate at the top of Ainaloa Boulevard The gate is again operational. All Councilpersons are notified of the repair by a February 24, 2003 e-mail from the Director. f-` Memo to Mayor Pxge 2 March 5, 2003 Discussion The Puna Emergency Access Road needs to be assessed as either a minor road, or a collector road. A minor road is a road intended exclusively for access to an abutting property. While a collector road, is a road for through traffic and to some extent, for access to an abutting property. It is my determination that the road's function, if the road is open to traffic at al] times, then the road is a collector road. When the road is compared to the nationally accepted policy for the design of a collector road the following six items become apparent for the section of the road through the Hawaiian Acres Subdivision: 1. No Shoulders 2. Limited Sight Distance along road 3. Limited Sight Distance at some side roads 4. Multiple "Hidden Driveways" 5. No reflective raised pavement markers along the road's center line 6. Ponding on and flow of water across road during rains The following four items aggravate the situation in the Hawaiian Acres subdivision: 1. Forty-foot wide right-of-way 2. Use of ten feet of right-of-way by utility line on one side 3. No street lighting 4. Heightened potential liability to the County For Ainaloa Boulevard, the section through Ainaloa Subdivision, the following three items become apparent: 1. Limited Sight Distance along road 2. Limited Sight Distance at some side roads 3. No reflective raised pavement markers along the road's center line The following three items aggravate the situation in the Ainaloa Subdivision: 1. No street lighting 2. Heightened potential liability to the County 3. Increased traffic congestion on Ainaloa Boulevard during the morning peak traffic The above items arc discussed in detail in Attachment "A." ATTACHMENT "A" 1. No Shoulders L I. This road should have a 5-foot wide shoulder and at a minimum it should be 2-feet wide. Shoulders keep rain water off the traveled way. In addition, they make a road forgiving by providing a driver room to recover should they leave the traveled way. 2. Limited Sight Distance along road 2. 1. At the current posted speed of 35 mph and only within the Hawaiian Acres Subdivision there are 21 crest vertical curves, which don't have stopping sight distance. They total a length of 9,930 feet, which is 35% of the length of this portion of the road. 2.2. In addition there are 19 sag vertical curves, which at night don't have stopping sight distance. Together with the crest vertical curves they total a length of 12,960 feet, which is 45% of the road. 2.3. At a posted speed of 25 mph and only within the Hawaiian Acres Subdivision there are 1 1 crest vertical curves, which don't have stopping sight distance. They total a length of 2,405 feet, which is 8% of the length of this portion of the road. 2.4. In addition there are 20 sag vertical curves, which at night don't have stopping sight distance. Together with the crest vertical curves they total a length of 5,460 feet, which is 19% of the road. 3. Limited Sight Distance at some side roads. (This element of the road hasn't been analyzed yet.) 4. Multiple "Hidden Driveways" 4. L Within the Hawaiian Acres Subdivision the typical lot has a ] 50-foot road frontage. 4.2. Within the Hawaiian Acres Subdivision there are about 320 lots, which currently have 127 driveways. Of these existing driveways, 32 or 25% are in a road section that doesn't have stopping sight distance for 25 mph. 4.3. Within the Hawaiian Acres Subdivision there is a potential for at least another 231 driveways assuming that each vacant lot has only one driveway. Of these future driveways, 63 are in a load section that doesn't have stopping sight distance for 25 mph. Together with the existing 32 driveways the total would be 95 or 27% of all the future driveways. 5. Reflective raised pavement m~~kers along the road's centerline should be installed to show drivers where the centerline is. 6. Drivers should be advised about those sections of road that are subject to ponding or where water flows across the road during rains as complete drainage improvements were not a part of the original project. Memo to Mayor Page 3 March 5, 2003 Conclusion Before the gate at the top of Ainaloa Boulevard is removed or the road is reopened to the public for any reason other than opened for emergencies only or opened for 24 hours a day, every day, the following six items should be done: 1. Replace existing 35-mph speed limit signs with 25-mph signs those are the signs 2. Restripe the centerline as the original striping has faded. 3. Install reflective raised pavement markers along the centerline, as there are none. 4. Install appropriate warning signs at those locations where the road ponds or floods. 5. Review the warning signs currently installed at "Blind Hills." 6. Install a generic sign at each end of the road warning of the road's condition. It is estimated that this work will cost about $150,000. • It is recommended that the Puna Emergency Access Road (PEAR), as constructed, not be opened to the general public 24 hours a day and seven days a week for the reasons stated above and detailed in AttachmenC A. Rather, the road should be locked, under County control, and opened as a detour when deemed necessary by the Department of Civil Defense and keys given to Police and Fire so that they may use the road as needed in carrying out their duties. This is even after the above six items are done. • The County should block any attempts by the public to make roads around the gate. Any bypass around the gate defeats the purpose of the gate, which is to control access to the emergency access road. • The County should obtain exclusive title to the emergency road so that the respective subdivisions can not be named should there be any subsequent lawsuits due to an accident on the emergency road. Memo to Mayor Attachment -Page 2 March 5, 2003 Additional poor conditions 1. For a collector road the right of way should be a minimum of 60 feet. The existing forty foot right-of-way will restrict the Department of Public Works in mitigating conditions where driveways have limited sight distance. 2. The placement of the utility line within ten feet on one side of the right-of-way restricts the Department of Public Works to the ten feet on opposite side of the right-of-way when mitigating short comings in the existing road design. 3. While street lighting isn't required its absence makes the use of the road at night more challenging to a driver. 4. Opening the road to the public at all times, even with the suggested minimum improvements, will expose drivers to its short comings more than if the road were kept closed and only opened when an "emergency" occurred.