Hawaii DOT planning realignment of Honoapiilani Highway in West Maui

The Hawaii Department of Transportation (HDOT) is moving toward the next steps in the Department’s plan to ensure connectivity of Honoapiilani Highway in Olowalu, West Maui.

In July, HDOT submitted a competitive grant proposal to supplement the cost to realign 4.5 miles of Honoapiilani Highway from Ukumehame to Laniupoko. This planned realignment would connect to the previously constructed Lahaina Bypass and addresses the second priority location on the statewide report for coastal highway protection, according to a press release.

HDOT expects to hear in late 2021 if the Honoapiilani Highway Realignment Project has been selected for the Rebuilding American Infrastructure with Sustainability and Equity (RAISE) grant opportunity. HDOT is asking for $25 million in RAISE funds towards the estimated $90 million in project design and construction costs. Should the project be fully funded, highway construction is anticipated to begin in late 2024.

HDOT says it is pursuing every opportunity included in the infrastructure bill to maximize funding for this project once it is finally enacted.

“Honoapiilani Highway is a critical route and we are taking the steps necessary to ensure it is protected from sea level rise and coastal erosion,” HDOT Deputy Director for Highways Ed Sniffen said in a statement. “As the planning, environment, and design process continues we’ll be asking for public input and support for the realignment.”

Temporary mitigation action to keep Honoapiilani Highway protected while the realignment project is in the works include: shifting the existing alignment approximately 12 ft mauka within the highway right-of-way between mile markers 12.97 and 14.49. This small realignment is in preliminary engineering and has an estimated cost of $4 million.