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Perhaps the many who oppose responsible improvements will now see the value in participating positively in such proposed improvements instead of dragging their heels cussing and swearing. Old government beach road could have been improved long ago with public input to preserve mango trees etc with a semi winding road way that could have also still served a viable emergency route for our neighbors and friends to the south. Now with this governors proclamation order in place, preservation and impact issues will be fully side stepped and the road will be improved to STATE and not to the flexible county standards. Yeah, that's right, a mostly straight wide road with full lanes and such. I warned about this exact scenario a year or so back. Next time please participate positively and such improvements can be done while observing preservation and environmental issues. Now we'll have something I didn't want, I just wanted it improved to a practical useful level while preserving its mysterious beauty. Now we get the very thing no-one really wanted.
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Yeah, it's sad the way the wheel turns here. Maybe it's the climate, puts people's minds to snooze or booze mode. Very few seem able to see more than a few yards ahead at any given time.
Then there's the NIMBYs who think they are being progressive while they are actually regressive. They are worse than the issues they oppose.
Assume the best and ask questions.
Punaweb moderator
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Very well said posts by you both.
Thank u for the insights. Agree with the short sightedness of folks. Too bad for the future.
hawaiideborah
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I believe Government Beach Road was first constructed as a complete coastal road at the beginning of World War 2. The military used it to monitor the ocean along East Hawaii, even constructing concrete bunkers.
Does anyone know how long it took to build? Was it a county, state, territorial or military project?
I'm wondering how much foot dragging went on when we thought the islands were about to be overrun by people, not lava.
"I'm at that stage in life where I stay out of discussions. Even if you say 1+1=5, you're right - have fun." - Keanu Reeves
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Just a guess of course, but it seems to me the potential OldGovtBeach-coastal-route, though comparatively-ugly of course, will be engineered in such a way to be far less elaborate/wide than the Railroad-route, due to its location in a Tsunami-inundation zone.
Does anyone know how many (and which of the) HPP cross-streets are paved?
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Paved in HPP: 1st, 7th, 16th, some more higher up.
But not all of them are paved the whole way.
After Beach hits Makuu it's paved if you go up to 1st, go across to Paradise then back down to Beach, which is then paved up till Shipman land (I think).
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I understand the old railroad bed to be 11 feet wide.
Assume the best and ask questions.
Punaweb moderator
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7th and sixteen go all the way through from Kaloli to Makuu. More near 130 and others near the sea for one section or another....beach Road to Keaau seems like quite an undertaking would it be punched through to Hawaiian Beaches, too?. How long would that take?
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Always wondered why Old Government Beach Road wasn't paved all the way from Kapoho to Hilo, as a tourist highway, disconnect it from being an all-purpose evacuation highway and designated definitely not for use during a tsunami. Looking at the terrain, it is more difficult than from Kapoho to Kalapana Hwy 137. Then a lot of people don't want to see Waa-waa paved all the way to Beaches plus there are long stretches of Red Road on the verge of breaking off into the ocean. It isn't like bulldozers show up next week either. Maybe not next week?
"We come in peace!" - First thing said by missionaries and extraterrestrials
*Japanese tourist on bus through Pahoa, "Is this still America?*
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Thanks guys.
I know some HPP-residents are as freaked by the prospect of additional Puna-residents funneling into their private-subdivision as closer-to-the-rift-Puna-residents are by hot lava. Traffic-worries, walker/bicyclist-safety-worries, crime-worries, rubbish-worries, etc etc etc.
Seems to me, it'll all be temporary.
As for this current worrisome phase? Once vehicles get to the fringes of HPP via the two new evacuation-Arteries, they'll fan out on the various paved sideways Capillaries, hit their favorite mauka-makai HPP-Arteries, and end up on 130 again.
Hopefully over time none of it turns bloody -- and hopefully that proposed stoplight at Shower appears very soon.
