Kailua group says road project issues resolved
By Eloise Aguiar
Advertiser Windward O'ahu Writer
KAILUA — A renewed request for a new access to Kailua High School hasn't swayed the state administration to move forward on the project despite advocates' claim that all concerns about the project have been addressed.
Richard Ambo • The Honolulu Advertiser
The committee for The Kailua High School Access Road Project, made up of Kailua and Waimanalo residents, asked Gov. Ben Cayetano last month to reconsider financing the work now that the state economy has improved and safety issues over the women's prison have been resolved, two conditions he said must be met before he would reconsider the project.
A proposed road would divert traffic from a 17-foot-wide road in the Pohakupu subdivision that was never meant to handle heavy traffic. Ulumanu Drive handles as many as 668 cars entering Kailua High School in one hour of peak traffic.
But Kim Murakawa, spokeswoman for the governor, said the administration is not convinced that all issues have been resolved.
"They haven't addressed the security issue regarding the (women's) prison," Murakawa said. "They still have not fully addressed the design, construction and procurement issues. They still have yet to coordinate with the Department of Education."
Mike Heh, committee head, said the committee believes all issues have been addressed, including 13 conditions set forth by the governor last year. Any new concerns can only be dealt with during the planning and design stages of the project, Heh said.
However, Public Safety Director Ted Sakai said the group has not cleared security concerns with him and he still has reservations about the proximity of the proposed road to the women's prison. He also said the DOE has not told him that it even wants the road.
The governor has not yet responded to the group, according to Murakawa, and Heh said he hopes the response will be different than Murakawa suggested.
In a January letter to the group, Cayetano said he would reconsider the proposed project along with DOE priorities once the economy improved and safety issues were addressed.
Both of those things have happened, Heh said, and the group also has written commitments from Ameron Hawai'i, RCI Construction, Waimanalo Construction Coalition and IBG Inc. to help out for free or at a reduced cost.
"We believe the governor will do what he said he would do," Heh said. "We're not expecting him to turn his back on the Waimanalo /Kailua communities or the Kailua High School."
The timing is critical, he said. RCI is building a water reservoir near the school and had to build a temporary road for the project, which could be easily improved and used for the new road, Heh said. The water project ends in September and once RCI removes its equipment, it can no longer offer the state a savings, he said.
The new road would divert most traffic away from the Pohakupu subdivision where the school is accessed by a 17-foot-wide road never meant to handle the heavy traffic needed for a main entrance to the school. In one hour of peak traffic, as many as 668 cars enter Ulumanu Drive to the school, according to Heh's group.
The new road would come off Kalaniana'ole Highway just beyond the Women's Community Correctional Center.
Reach Eloise Aguiar at eaguiar@honoluluadvertiser.com or 234-5266.
