HomeMy WebLinkAboutCOM 0297.002 2004-2006 June 15, 2005
TO: Mr. Stacy Higa - Hawai'I County Council Chairperson and Hawaii County
Council Members
RE: Resolution 110-05 -Supports the Kona Traffic Safety Commffter and ffs Efforts for
Immediate Improvement of Mamalahoa Highway between Mile Markers 11
and 28.
Dear Mr. Htga and County Council Members,
As a longtime member of fhe Kona Traffic Safety Commfftee, a member of the
Mamalahoa subcommittee, and a veteran driver of Mamalahoa Highway (I drove this
highway several times a week for 20 plus years in my commute between Hilo and
Kona),1 support the current Improvements that Dr. Brennan Morioka (Deputy Director -
Highways (DOT)) has already proposed for Mamalahoa Highway.
The Mamalahoa Subcommittee and members of the Pu'uanahulu Community met on
May 7, 2005 wffh Representative Cindy Evans and Dr. Morioka and as I can recall, Dr.
Morioka proposed the following for starters
1) DOT (Dept. of Transports#ion) will continue to work on shoving back the
outcroppings along Mamalahoa Highway between mile markers 11 and 28 in order
to provide better roadway shoulders,
2) DOT will look Into providing more roadway signage (as allowed under the MUTCD -
Manual on Unfform Traffic Conhoi Devices) in the section of the highway which
passes through Pu'uanahulu. The speed Rmff through Pu'uanahulu wRl be set at
35mph and posted on larger signs,
3) Per Dr. Morioka, he will consult wffh his highway engineers on where to
appropriately place the "shoulder dressings" along the highway. Shoulder
dressings are another way of widening the shoulders wffhout building "turnouts." Dr.
Morioka pointed out that a standard turnout requires a very wide shoulder
of 17 feet which DOT would not be ablb to accommodate in the near future due
to lack of funding.
I did not fully agree with a number of the improvements proposed by the Mamalahoa
Subcommttee especially since they had not shared their concerns wffh the rest of the
Pu'uanahulu communffy. As ff turned out, the residents who INe along the highway in
the ungated section of this communffy expressed deep reservations about placing
noisy rumble stops on the highway and about fuming the highway into another unsafe
speedway, like fhe Queen Kaahumanu Highway, by widening ff.
Please review the list of subcommittee recommendations carefully, get the facts
straight, and be sure to get more feedback from more drivers who have driven this
stretch of driveway for decades before supporting this resolution.
Mahalo,
Josephine KelRpto a 4 2
76-168 Royal Poinciana Drive Comm. No.
Kailua-Kona Ref. To: ~
(808) 326-7998. Re#. Uate