• Raids on highway funds hinder road improvements Raids on highway funds hinder road improvements By Rod Haraga The October 8 letter from Rep. Kawakami on highway funds only tells part of the story and misleads your readers. The unwise
• Raids on highway funds hinder road improvements
Raids on highway funds hinder road improvements
By Rod Haraga
The October 8 letter from Rep. Kawakami on highway funds only tells part of the story and misleads your readers.
The unwise practice of legislators raiding the state highway fund has undeniably hurt the State’s ability to maintain our highways. Yes, there is a law that says the highway fund cannot go below 135%. But that applies to 135% of what the department has planned for the next twelve months.
Rep. Kawakami’s comment that the extra 35% would cover any unforeseen needs is incorrect.
The “extra” 35% Rep. Kawakami mentions is legally required to ensure proper cash flow management and compliance with bond covenants. There are no extra funds for unforeseen emergencies and unplanned events. Several examples that occurred this year include the $7.8 million in repairs to fix the Castle Junction landslide on Oahu and the $1 million needed to fix the Likelike highway sinkhole. The most recent example happened right here on Kaua‘i – the $1 million replacement of Wainiha Bridge #2.
Further, raid of money by the majority in the Legislature could hurt our ability to pay for $8.5 million to ensure all state highways and roads have wheelchair ramps for our elderly and handicapped. They have also deprived us of funds needed to handle the extra road landscaping maintenance costs created by the heavy rains this past year.
The majority-controlled Legislature has skimmed off money that comes from the gasoline taxes and vehicle weight taxes each of us pays as drivers and users of state roads. To divert these funds for their own special projects breaks a covenant the legislators have with the voters and misleads people into thinking the Department of Transportation isn’t doing its job. To blame delays on highway projects on the DOT staff does a disservice to all of the hardworking who proudly serve in my department.
For these reasons, Governor Lingle is seriously considering not following the recommendations of the Legislature, but rather keeping the money in the highway trust fund.
We hope those legislators who voted to support this raid, will have second thoughts and support the Administration in this decision.
I appreciate the opportunity to set the record straight and to assure the people of the Garden Isle that the Department of Transportation will continue to expedite much needed and long overdue road projects.
Rod Haraga is Director of Transportation for the State of Hawai‘i
