HomeMy WebLinkAboutRES 596 Draft 02 2006-2008COUNTY OF HAWAII
STATE OF HAWAII
RESOLUTION NO. ~'~~ ~~-'
(DRAFT 2)
A RESOLUTION REQUESTING THE DEPARTMENT OF PUBLIC WORKS TO
IMMEDIATELY BEGIN ENVIRONMENTAL ASSESSMENTS FOR THOSE
RECOMMENDATIONS REQUIRING AN ENVIRONMENTAL ASSESSMENT ANU
IMPLEMENT BEFORE SEPTEMBER 1, 2008, OTHER SHORT-TERM
RECOMMENDATIONS NOT REQUIRING AN ENVIRONMENTAL ASSESSMF;NT
RELATING TO INFRASTRUCTURE IMPROVEMENTS IN WAIMEA, AS YROVIllEU
IN THE FINAL REPORT OF THE PARSONS-BRINCKERHOFF WAIMEA 'TRAFFIC
CIRCULATION STUDY.
WHEREAS, traffic congestion in Waimea has steadily increased over the past few years,
resulting in traffic travel times doubling at peak hours and substantial trafficjams at the main
Waimea intersections; and
WHEREAS, this traffic problem adversely impacts not only residents of the Waimea
community but all drivers attempting to travel from one side of the island to the other, bottle-
necking at the Mamalahoa Highway and Lindsey Road intersection; and
WHEREAS, the Waimea Traffic Circulation Study (WTCS), conducted by consultants
Parsons-Brinckerhoff, Inc. (now PB Americas, Inc.), was initially presented to the Waimea
community in December, 2006, and then supported by the December, 2007, publication of a 94-
page final report recommending a number of improvements to mitigate traffic problems in the
immediate area; and
WHEREAS, not all but some of these improvements would require Environmental
Assessments, such as the selected widening of Mamalahoa Highway or the design and
construction of either of the connector roads; and
WHEREAS, Environmental Assessments demand considerable lead times and are
mandatory before any final design or construction work can begin; and
WHEREAS, the County of Hawaii has yet to initiate any of the actions recommended in
the WTCS, even though funds totaling more than $9 million from the 2004 County bond issue
are available to pursue one or more of the actions contained in the report (with the exception of
the implementation of an intra-Waimea shutCle bus service which will not utilize the funds
above); now, therefore,
BE IT RESOLVED BY THE COUNCIL OF THE COUNTY OF HAWAII, that the
Department of Public Works implement at least two of the short-term recommendations that do
not require Environmental Assessments before September 1, 2008.
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that the Department of Public Works immediately
begin the Environmental Assessments on at least two of the proposed improvements requiring
Environmental Assessments, as stated in the WTCS.
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that the Department of Public Works submit within 30
days of approval of this resolution a list of the starting dates and proposed work tasks of all
construction projects, whether the project requires an Environmental Assessment or not.
BE IT FINALLY RESOLVED, that the County Clerk shall forward certified copies of
this resolution to the Honorable Mayor Harry Kim and to the Director of the Department of
Public Works.
Dated at Kona
Hawaii, this 7th day of May , 2008.
INTRODUCCED BY:
~. I ~ -
COUNCIL M BE ~33~\AWAI`I
.-~' -~
COUNTY COUNCIL
County of Hawaii
Hilo, Hawaii
I hereby certify that the foregoing RESOLUTION was by
the vote indicated to the right hereof adopted by the COUNCIL of the
County of Hawaii on May 7. 2008
ATTF,ST:
\, t
COUNTY CLERK CHAIRMAN
OFFICER
VOTE
AYES NOES ABS GX
FORD X
HIGA X
HOFFMANN X
IKEDA X
JACOBSON
NAEOLE X
PILAGO g
YAGONG g
YOSHIMOTO }(
0 ~ i 0
Reference: C-1137~+.5/PWIRC-69
RESOLUTION NO. S96 U3
{DRAFT 2)