Alternate makai access road?

[Frankie Stapleton]

I'm very curious as to those who want an alternate lower Puna roadway north of Hwy 130 and those who don't. And if you want it, would you support the use of eminent domain to go thru Shipman Estate? Looking forward to discussion....

[rainyjim]

To summarize countless other posts: Nearly all of us want it, with major exceptions from HPP - for literal nimby ism - however this is moot because no one has any money to build one and all the other districts are amused by our "familial"(inter-subdivision) warfare and take the opportunity to prevent any money from entering puna district.

Do I want it: Yes. Imminent Domain? They better use it before someone opens another lawsuit (rather than after the payout)

[Mimosa]

Yes - Yes down shower to railroad and into town.Eventually will be a light or roundabout at shower,and the grade on railroad is already established into Hilo.
Aloha

[macuu222]

The only way their going to fork out money and build any alternate access in upper or lower Puna is "after" a major catastrophe...not before. And then it will come from Federal funds. At least that's how I see it.

[Rob Tucker]

The state had $1.5 million budgeted a couple years ago to study an alternative route but Puna's NIMBYs raised a fuss. They didn't want a study until they knew what route was to be studied. Pretty brilliant.

[kalakoa]

Currently part of the CERS subcomponent of PCDP: complete Railroad so that it runs from Milo (in Keaau) to Hawaiian Beaches.

[Chunkster]

There is no money for this. The last I heard the price for a makai route was way over $200,000,000. There is organized opposition in HPP. (I know about this because I went to one of the meetings.) There is no provision for it in the State Highway plan except as "a county project," which brings us back to no money. In the event of the most likely emergency, a lava flow, a gravel emergency exit could be bulldozed in plenty of time for a small fraction of the cost.

[Frankie Stapleton]

Yes, I know there's no money for it and I know it's gonna take mega-federal dollars. Railroad is NOT a right-of-way, as our research told us when I was on the Puna CDP Transportation working group. And it is known that one branch of federal highways will not fund a road in a tsunami inundation zone. However, another branch of federal highways builds scenic coastal routes.

So, if we're ever gonna get an alternate route, someone's gotta start somewhere. And since the County Administration refuses to do anything, it's going to take someone starting on a state level. All 3 levels of government are going to be needed for funds.

There are miles between Hwy. 130 and the northeast coast of the island. So the route doesn't have to be in an inundation zone. The one landowner that's unavoidable is Shipman (thus my question on eminent domain).

And my inquiry is one way of trying to determine just how many of HPP households are NIMBYs and how many in HPP would want an alternate makai route. Not all residents in HPP are NIMBYs. So please post your replies....and thanx to those who've already responded. Mahalo nui loa.

[wailani]

Shipman is very powerful. They have always gotten what they want... or don't want.

[Chunkster]

Frankie, thanks for the clarification on Railroad. It is often referred to as an easy way to do this, but there are a lot of reasons that it wouldn't work. Also, the CDP (if it has any relevance any more) designates Railroad as a hike and bike trail, which would be a very suitable use of it, IMHO.

I would only add that not all the opposition in HPP is NIMBY, strictly speaking. There were people against it who lived far from any conceivable route. Also, several people on the HPP committee who initially favored it or were neutral ended up signing the letter of opposition to the Governor. Two of them tole me that was because the county was unwilling to have a really transparent dialog on what they wanted to build.