Short Pa'ia bypass planned
By Timothy Hurley
Advertiser Maui County Bureau
WAILUKU, Maui — Construction is expected to start soon on a one-way, one-lane road to help relieve the afternoon traffic that clogs the tiny seaside town of Pa'ia.
The half-mile stretch of road, dubbed the Pa'ia Mini-Bypass, will start at Hana Highway near the municipal parking lot on the Kahului side of town, pass through cane fields and empty motorists onto Baldwin Avenue just mauka of the Patsy Mink Post Office in Upper Pa'ia.
The bypass will be open only from 4 to 6 p.m. weekdays and is meant to avert much of the traffic congestion on two-lane Hana Highway that is caused by vehicles turning onto Baldwin Avenue. Gates will block motorists at other times.
Kathy Barr, owner of the Hemp House shop in Pa'ia town, said that while the minibypass isn't an ideal solution, anything is welcome relief to the "horrendous" traffic that backs up through town.
"It's a Band-Aid. But a Band-Aid is better than nothing," she said.
Barr said the merchants also are in favor of a major bypass road, but only if signs are installed to point visitors to Pa'ia, whose business community benefits from a steady stream of tourists bound for Hana and north-shore spots.
The state Department of Transportation and Maui County are teaming up with landowner A&B Properties Inc. to finance the minibypass. A&B is contributing $65,000, the county is paying $100,000, and the state, $472,000.
A shoulder lane on Hana Highway will span the distance from Baldwin Beach Park to the municipal parking lot and then skirt the town. Left and right turning lanes at the Baldwin Avenue exit will provide access to Pa'ia town and the Upcountry area.
The project originally proposed a connection to Baldwin below the post office. However, the public raised concerns that the connection was too close to the post office driveway, so the route was moved to an area mauka of the post office.
If final approvals are received, construction is expected to start within three months and last about three months.
State Sen. J. Kalani English, D-6th (E. Maui, Moloka'i, Lana'i), said that while the minibypass will provide temporary relief, he's still working to obtain an estimated $37.5 million to construct a full-fledged Pa'ia bypass road.
Reach Timothy Hurley at thurley@honoluluadvertiser.com or (808) 244-4880.
