2018-06-29 Alahou Street Extension Opening -- A Big Boost to Interconnectivity in Kona

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Wil Okabe Managing Director Harry Kim Mayor Barbara J. Kossow Deputy Managing Director County of Hawai‘i Office of the Mayor 25 Aupuni Street, Suite 2603  Hilo, Hawai‘i 96720  (808) 961-8211  Fax (808) 961-6553 KONA: 74-5044 Ane Keohokālole Hwy., Bldg C  Kailua-Kona, Hawai‘i 96740 (808) 323-4444  Fax (808) 323-4440 June 29, 2018 NEWS RELEASE Alahou Street Extension Opening, a Big Boost to Interconnectivity in Kona The long-awaited Alahou Street Extension opening on June 25, 2018 meant a big boost to interconnectivity in Kailua-Kona. It ushers in the interconnection of communities for vehicle and pedestrian connectivity, and the avoidance of large "cul-de-sac" residential communities which have only one roadway connection to a major roadway; these were objectives of the Kona Community Development Plan, the Planning Department said. The Alahou Street connection is especially important because it enhances the vehicle connectivity and pedestrian walkability in the core area of the Kailua Village Special District. It also retrofits the Lono Kona subdivision, a single family and multi-family residential community of over 500 homes and apartments, which currently has only one road, Kalani Street, connecting it to a major roadway, Kuakini Highway. The addition of a new roadway connecting to a stub-out of Alahou Street within the Lono Kona subdivision involved the crossing over two private properties, one containing a burial site, to connect to Henry Street. “The County worked with the lineal descendants to allow the resetting of a burial enclosure wall out of the proposed right-of-way,” said Planning Program Manager Bennett Mark. The new Alahou Street Extension brings multiple benefits, Mark said. The single roadway access to the Lono Kono subdivision has been of concern to the Police and Fire Departments, in the event that the single existing access road were blocked during an emergency. The new Extension provides a second ingress and egress route into Lono Kona Subdivision. The most noticeable benefit will be the reduction of traffic congestion at the Kalani Street roadway entry into this Lono Kona subdivision, Mark said. County of Hawai‘i is an Equal Opportunity Provider and Employer.