Your Voices Have Been Heard! Parallel Route/Emergency Access Road Update

On 09/19/17, the Nanakuli-Maili Neighborhood Board voted against the proposed Waianae Coast Emergency Access Road (WCEAR) extension from Puu Heleakala park to Door of Faith Church’s driveway on Haleakala Avenue.

Based on this and opposition from the community, I will:

• Recommend that DHHL uses the $9m secured by me, Councilwoman Pine and Rep. Gates to pursue something along the lines of what they identified as the “4th alternative” (see map below). That is, a road which goes above the Homesteads, and starts to form a parallel route for daily use.
• Seek funding to condemn the locked portion of Paakea Road.

Note: My understanding is that the 4th alternative does not go through any DHHL lessee’s property. Rather, it traverses through vacant DHHL land. However, DHHL clarified that upon further investigation, Ulei Loop does not appear wide enough for 2-way traffic, thus not making it appropriate for a parallel route connection. Nanakuli Ave has sufficient width for 2-way traffic. What are your thoughts about connecting this parallel route to Nanakuli Ave?

The other question of course would be whether the Puu Heleakala community would grant permission to connect this parallel route to the mauka section of their property and on to Helelua St. If not, we may have to consider locked gates again at these outlets until we can obtain additional funding to further extend the parallel route to other outlets. If that were the case, the gates would probably only open in emergencies. Either way, at least we are attempting to make progress toward the beginning of a parallel route. Whether this becomes a reality depends on many factors, including feasibility, funding, and how long we have William Aila Jr. (or someone equally committed to Waianae) in a key position at DHHL…

I really appreciate everyone’s mana’o. We are very fortunate to live in a close-knit community that cares so much about our collective future!