HomeMy WebLinkAboutCOM 0619.004 1998-2000Testimony at Hawaii County Council Re: New Intersection For Keaau Gateway
David Miranda
RECEMO ''"+ Volcano, Hawaii
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Dote
County Council
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Fi I e No.
Ref, To,
ktif. uatn Q 1 2000
Good afternoon members of the Council. Thank you for allowing me to address an
issue which is of great concern to me and I'm sure many other Puna residents which is the
proposed intersection that would service Shipman's Keaau Gateway project. I have no doubts the
project will satisfy some of the needs of the various Puna communities and even those of Ka'u,
however, the decision to allow another major intersection and traffic light needs to be rethought.
I commute a distance of forty miles from my home in Volcano to work every morning.
Then repeat that going home in the afternoon. It takes an hour in each direction and usually
longer in the afternoon. A total of eighty miles every day except perhaps on the weekend.
There are eleven traffic lights between Keaau and the bridge crossing Wailuku River as you leave
Hilo. They all seem to be reasonably placed but adding another light near Keaau serves no other
purpose except commercial interest. The flow of traffic leaving Hilo for the outlying districts of
Puna and Ka'u needs to be facilitated not impaired. The Keaau bypass is supposed to help but its
far from perfect and is often dangerous especially in bad weather. Traffic moves at high speed on
this part of Highway 1 I and everyone is anxious to get to there destination especially if its forty to
sixty or more miles away. Shipman and the state should not be allowed to add to this frustration.
I would suggest that the County insist that both Shipman and the State reconsider their
plan and instead focus on improving the Keaau bypass as well as modifying and upgrading the
existing Keaau -Pahoa Highway intersection. People will utilize the Gateway project for what it
provides to their families and community and not because it is easy to get in or out of a parking
lot. Make it easy and convenient for us to get our kids to school and pick them up each day.
Don't allow it to become a daily trial and obstacle course.
Thank you for your time.