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Rob, you missed your calling!
That's a good proposal. There will be some major issues but none are insurmountable obstacles.
So the question is, where did it go?
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Barbara, will federal money be spent on this project? Yes, if it can gets out of the proposal stage and into the needed phase. One item is there are many "shovel to the dirt" projects vying for that money and this is still just a proposal.
The biggest question is how to advance this from talk to reality?
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in response to Jerry's post, this is a description of what I put out before. There is a drawing and will see if I can get it up.
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A new route linking Hilo and Puna
A new highway, like Highway 130, with unrestricted access does not present a practical option for enhancing mobility choices. Such a highway through HPP is not needed and is not desirable.
Any new motor vehicle road from Keonepoko to South Hilo must have restricted access to preclude sprawl, and be multi-modal to reduce predominance of low occupancy vehicles.
The US Department of Transportation encourages and funds ‘flexible design’ and ‘context sensitive design.’ This means, for example, that lane and shoulder widths can be narrower than those observable on Highway 130.
The ‘Park’ community
The possibility of a Puna makai route across Hawaiian Paradise Park (HPP) has raised community concerns regarding road width, and the speed of cars and trucks traveling through residential areas.
Multiple, narrower routes across HPP – for example, on 25th, 15th, and 5th – rather than a single full-width corridor going through HPP, would avoid concentrating traffic on one street.
A large portion of traffic that now congests Highway 130 originates in HPP; this traffic would be redirected to a route between HPP and Hilo thus reducing congestion on Highway 130.
Parkway concept
The parkway outside of HPP, from Macadamia Road to HPP north and from HPP south to Keonepoko, would accommodate two lanes in each direction for cars and motorcycles, and one lane for buses.
As a matter of practicality, Ala Puna Makai would align with streets (25th, 15th, and 5th) in HPP where land is zoned and designated for community/village center use (recreation, education, commercial, light industry).
The parkway would be narrower because trucks are excluded so that wider lanes and shoulders are not required..
Restricted access between Keonepoko and HPP south and between HPP north and Macadamia Road would preclude the many driveways and other indicators of sprawl now observable along Highway 130.
Parkway application
Car and motorcycle traffic would enter HPP at 5th when north bound and at 25th when south bound.
A large amount of car and motorcycle traffic entering HPP from the parkway would have destinations within HPP.
Car and motorcycle traffic traversing HPP could enter HPP from the parkway; proceed along respective north- or southbound streets and then exit HPP onto the parkway again.
A busway would enter/exit HPP at 15th (see description of busway below).
Hwy 11 and Hwy 130
Highways 130 and 11 now link commercial areas along two routes: Pahoa-Keaau-Hilo and Pahoa-Keaau-Volcano.
A scenic parkway from Puna to Hilo, via HPP, would not link these commercial areas.
Redirecting non-truck traffic to an alternate route (i.e., the Parkway) obviates the need for widening Highway 130.
Truck traffic would continue to enter HPP from Highway 130 for local residential deliveries and to serve commercial development within HPP.
Busway
A guided busway provides the operating features of grade-separated rail systems using lower-cost, more flexible bus-transit technologies, and allows the passenger to use just one mode of transport for an entire trip.
Where busways have been used, the result has been increased bus ridership, reduced delays to buses, reduced peak bus journey times and reduced peak traffic flows.
A guided busway has off-road fixed tracks, consisting of concrete troughs. Buses travel along a concrete track and can enter and exit normal roads and the busway at multiple points. Small wheels are fitted near the front of the bus. These wheels run along guides on either side of the track, with the effect of assisting steering of the bus.
A single-lane busway allows bus traffic in both directions at the same time, with buses passing at designated locations (e.g., HPP).
Scenic Parkway (Ala Puna Makai)
Features
1. Macadamia Road to HPP north and HPP south to Keonepoko
2. Restricted access (Keonepoko, HPP south, HPP north, Macadamia Road)
3. Scenic, with context-sensitive design, green infrastructure, green buffers, etc.
4. Multi-modal (cars and motorcycles; buses)
5. Align at 25th, 15th, and 5th in HPP
6.Multiple (#8804;45mph) routes across HPP
7. Two lanes each way for licensed passenger motor vehicles (cars and motorcycles)
8. North bound car and motorcycle traffic enter/exit HPP at 5th
9. South bound car and motorcycle traffic enter/exit HPP at 25th
10. Single-lane busway aligned at HPP 15th
Functions
1.Provide an alternate route between Puna and Hilo
2.Relieve a major portion of Highway 130 congestion: daily, non-truck, peak traffic from HPP.
3.Provide adequate capacity for daily, non-truck, peak traffic between Keonepoko and South Hilo.
4.Disperse traffic in HPP.
5.Align with areas in HPP designated for village center use (recreation, education, commerce, light industry).
6.Serve as an emergency evacuation route from Keonepoko and HPP.
7.Establish public transit as a viable mobility choice for daily peak and non-peak travel between Hilo and Puna.
8.Complement a proposed bikeway/walkway along Railroad Avenue.
9.Contribute to green infrastructure.
10.Preclude sprawl.
James Weatherford, Ph.D.
15-1888 Hialoa
Hawaiian Paradise Park
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This is the link.
http://www.hcrc.info/community-planning/...e.doc/view
James Weatherford, Ph.D.
15-1888 Hialoa
Hawaiian Paradise Park
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Thank you, James, for posting that. I really like the fact that your proposal does not just push another Highway 130 through HPP. The sprawl avoidance feature, mass transit opportunities, and dispersion of cross HPP traffic especially appeal to me.
Cheers,
Jerry
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Why is there so much opposition to making Highway 130 a six lane road? Let the people in the subdivisions figure out for themselves how to get to 130. Since these are all "private" subdivisions, why should the entire county worry how to move people within their subdivision? Let the county deal with the main road that is needed now.
You'll never get those beautiful parkways or feeders without jumping through hoopes, but you will get a massive concrete six lane highway in no time if people stood behind it.
Six - lanes might just be happening on the part near Keaau High School.
I'd like to thank Rob T, Frankie, and Dr. W's wife as well as anyothers on Punaweb that showed up tonight.
The meeting will be continued tomorrow...
Same bat place... same bat time.
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My Blog
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quote:
Originally posted by Bob Orts
massive concrete six lane highway in no time if people stood behind it.
My instinct is to stand in front of it and prevent such foolishness from taking place and repeating the same error again that has happened so many, many times with "widening":
lots of money spent with only short term traffic alleviation and that brief alleviation coming only after extreme disruption during the widening. No thanks.
James Weatherford, Ph.D.
15-1888 Hialoa
Hawaiian Paradise Park
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6-lanes? That's the acquisition the people in the group I was in voted for last night! But don't worry. Nothing's gonna happen for 10 years and, who knows, maybe by then it will be needed.
BTW, the KPAG is stacked with people who either have county interests (for example, Tom Brown, Hele-On director who is going back on all the promises he made in the PCDP process as he ALWAYS does; Larry Brown, County Planner; Liz Salfern, their rubber-stamp) as well as other members of the public who were nowhere around during the Puna CDP process but are advocating for HPP, ORchidland and Ainaloa interests. Neil Erickson, archaeologist and planner, said in our group discussion last night that he didn't even care about the rural end of Puna. The whole process is heavily weighted to the Keaau end of the highway and Shipman wins again!
I left in disgust...it's a total shibai. Sayonara.
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quote:
Originally posted by james weatherford
My instinct is to stand in front of it and prevent such foolishness from taking place and repeating the same error again that has happened so many, many times with "widening":
Yes, but without an alternative route, widening becomes the most viable solution. You have a road that can not handle the current capacity. Do you
A- Widen the road to increase capacity?
B- Build another road to absorb capacity?
From what I'm reading, B is a discussion item, while A is available now. Unless B becomes a viable prospect, the only solution is A. My question to everyone is how do you get B to become the preferred option?
In looking over Rob's PMAR proposal, with the proper tweaking and community support, it can become a reality. And a reality fast. If there are too many alternatives, you just delay the possibility of getting the PMAR built before community pressure for relief causes a 6 or 8 lane mega road on 130. People need to get out of the area and traffic gets worse everyday. At some point, nobody will care about anything but relief from traffic and that is the catalyst for widening what exist.
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I am of the opinion that Hwy. 130 needs improvements and that they can be accomplished with comparative ease when contrasted with several years of heavy construction to four lane the ten miles. If a first phase of PMAR can be built the heavy congestion will be alleviated.
People should be aware that just adding the shoulders to the highway was a two year project. Widening and signalizing will be ongoing for years and make travel worse and dangerous. PMAR can be built without having to maintain traffic flow - much, much easier to build without dealing with traffic.
Hwy. 130 needs safety features now.... turn lanes, merge lanes.
Gary Safarik suggested some years ago that for about $250,000 a year it would be possible to place traffic control officers at the tough intersections and Keaau merge. That could be a good way to deal with traffic while PMAR gets moved forward.
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