• New roads New roads The creation of a new emergency by-pass road by the County of Kaua‘i is a clear sign that plans for new roads are needed now, not later. While using the new by-pass road as an
• New roads
New roads
The creation of a new emergency by-pass road by the County of Kaua‘i is a clear sign that plans for new roads are needed now, not later.
While using the new by-pass road as an emergency outlet for traffic going between Wailua and Hanama‘ulu is a good one, and one that will ease lengthy traffic halts in the likely event of more accidents along this stretch of Kuhio Highway, it would be much better for everyone if this reborn haul cane road was turned into the southbound lanes of Kuhio Highway in this area.
Plans for adding more sections to the emergency plan, with the road heading as far the Tunnel of Trees, and possibly through Wilcox Tunnel to mauka Koloa, show there are routes out there. While permanent use of some of these areas is unlikely, the thinking “outside the box” used in creating these emergency routes should be applied to an expedited solution to our traffic problems.
Most talk about major changes to Kaua‘i’s roads is for plans decades out. Meanwhile traffic continues to get worse and worse. Drivers coming through the Wailua- Kapa‘a corridor are finding traffic jams even in mid-morning, well past the morning rush hour.
A presentation earlier this week brought a glimpse of the future of traffic on the South Shore when a a 350-plus unit condominium project was discussed before the Planning Commission. Representatives of the developer were asked about traffic impacts for these units, which could house well over 1,000 guests or residents in the future.
Traffic coming in from the North Shore to Kapa‘a and Lihu‘e is growing, too, reflecting the rapid pace of home development on the North Shore.
The late Valdemar Knudsen pushed for a north-south mauka route toll road as long ago as the 1960s that would directly link the North Shore to the South Shore with a road miles inland from the coast. Such a road would take a lot of pressure off Kuhio Highway and sections of Kaumuali‘i Highway, and provide a scenic drive for local residents and visitors. Another look at this idea should be taken, and done with the same train of thought used to develop the new emergency bypass roads.
How to fund a major roadbuilding work such as a mauka highway is another topic, but one that might become a reality if the vision and leadership is there to draw up such a plan.
