Loading...
HomeMy WebLinkAboutCOM 0997.012 2006-2008 xf-4 Of Harry Kim • Bruce C. McClure Mayor Director A or x~ 'tyr`r ~y(~~y Jiro A. Sumada C aunt of L Paiuµj't Deputy DN for DEPARTMENT OF PUBLIC WORKS t Aupuni Center C. y 101 Pauahi Street, Suite 7 - Hilo, Hawaii 96720-4224 tV r Ti (808) 961-8321 Fax(808)961-8630 I Co www.co.hawaii.hi.us r 11,71 March 28, 2008 ro r N HONORABLE CHAIRMAN AND MEMBERS HAWAII COUNTY COUNCIL HAWAII COUNTY BUILDING HILO, HI 96720 SUBJECT: BILL 235 & 236, DRAFT 2, AMENDING ORDINANCES NO. 96-7 AND 96-8, RELATING TO THE USE OF HALEKII STREET EXTENSION UPON DEDICATION TO THE COUNTY Reference is made to the following: 1. The March 14, 2008 letter from Council Member Brenda Ford to Council Chairman Pete Hoffmann, submitting Bill 235, Draft 2. 2. The March 18, 2008 letter from Council Member Brenda Ford to Council Chairman Pete Hoffmann, submitting Bill 236, Draft 2. After reviewing Council Member Ford's Draft 2 of Bills 235 & 236 referenced above, we are pleased to provide the following comments relating to the major issues we have concerns about. 1. We appreciate Council Member Ford's active involvement to promote the utmost safety for the Keauhou and Halekii Street communities. We wholeheartedly support her safety consciousness. Within Public Works, we too are seriously concerned with the safety of motorists, bikes and pedestrians for these two communities, as well as resolving traffic safety concerns island-wide. As such, we are forced to balance the needs of all communities around the island with available resources. We ask Council Members to support reasonable traffic safety mitigation measures associated with the proposed 3:30 to 6:30 PM test geared to relieve traffic congestion through Honalo, Kainaliu and Kealekekua towns, while weighing the need for safety improvements in other districts so our limited resources and funding are utilized prudently. ckifmi No,gt7.tap County of Hawaii is an Equal Opportunity Provider and Employer. Ref' To: Ur Ref. Dote MAR 2 8 2= Letter to Honorable Chairman and Members March 28, 2008 Page 2 2. A pedestrian signal proposed on Halekii Street at or near the Muli Street Intersection may be premature due to the scheduled April 2008 completion of a 70 stall parking lot at the Clarence Lum Wong Park. This parking lot removes 70 cars off the roads surrounding the park and allows park users to safely access the park without crossing any street. We recommend instead of a full pedestrian signal on Halekii Street near the park, Council approve a pedestrian warning light and crosswalk to assist pedestrians crossing Halekii Street. After the parking lot is completed and fully operational, and the effectiveness of the pedestrian warning light is assessed, we can then determine if a full pedestrian signal is warranted. 3. The AN Drive/Kaleiopapa Road Intersection does not warrant a traffic signal at this time. There will be safety concerns due to increased traffic that we feel a three-way stop can address. During the proposed test from 3:30 to 6:30 PM on weekdays, excluding holidays, a special duty police officer stationed at this intersection will provide additional safety control for the anticipated increase in traffic during the 3 hours each day. In anticipation of the entire Mamalahoa Bypass being completed in 3 years or so, we will continue our efforts to install the complete traffic signal so it can be operational well in advance of the 5.42-mile Bypass being opened. Until that time, the three-way stop and special duty police officer is a reasonable solution to address safety concerns. 4. We recommend changing the language relating to the bike, pedestrian and right- of-way encroachments on AN Drive to "identifying project scope and securing adequate funding" within three years instead of requiring us to completely resolve these encroachments. In some locations, there are privately owned rock walls, driveways and landscaping that must be removed or relocated. We want to provide these private landowners with adequate time to remove and/or relocate these encroachments, as some advanced planning and budgeting on their part may be required. In other locations, there are rock outcroppings that need to be cut back. This may require acquiring adjacent land or securing slope easements that would take several months to design and negotiate with the landowners. In completing these projects we also need to conduct appropriate environmental reviews for each project. DPW will review and assess the scope of the encroachment related safety improvement projects and integrate these projects f into the overall County's CIP program. Due to these requirements, we feel placing a three year deadline to resolve all encroachments issues on AN Drive is unrealistic. County of Hawai'i is an Equal Opportunity Provider and Employer. Letter to Honorable Chairman and Members March 28, 2008 Page 3 We commend Council Member Ford for promoting the safety of the communities she represents, as reflected in Draft 2. We will continue to work with her to deliver the mitigation measures to support the 3:30 to 6:30 PM test. If Council Members have any questions regarding this letter, please contact our Deputy Director, Mr. Jiro Sumada, or Traffic Division Chief, Mr. Ron Thiel. We will also be happy to answer questions at the April 9, 2008 Council meeting. -X BRUCE rMcCLURIE, P.E. ector cc: Dixie Kaetsu, Managing Director Planning Department Office of the Corporation Counsel DEP TRF County of Hawaii is an Equal Opportunity Provider and Employer.