Mauna Loa erupting

[HereOnThePrimalEdge]

would have to shift 2-3 miles in some areas and reach Hilo north of the Wailuku River (see orange line on attached). Probably not in the budget 

Thanks for the map ironyak, it is quite a shift in places.  
As a Puna resident who drove in afternoon rush hour traffic an extra 30-40 minutes every afternoon for about 10 years before Highway 130 was improved, with plenty of time on my hands thinking about how many cars did that every day, and how many people lost hours of their life waiting in traffic, how much gas was burned idling…

I'm now look at the same people-time-gas waste factor should Saddle Road be closed for a period of time - - and I wonder if it wouldn't be cheaper, in the long run, if the road was built with a longer potential lifespan calculated into it's construction?

Taxpayers pay for roads.  But taxpayers also lose time and pay more for gas if road construction is delayed or budgeted at "the lowest cost."  Which choice really costs taxpayers more, the lowest construction cost, or the best construction for the circumstances?  (Which includes the actual and projected population increase in areas like Puna)