Hawai‘i to Receive Additional $41 Million in Highway Funds

End portion of the Daniel K. Inouye Highway Truck Ramp. Photo: Jamilia Epping.

Gov. David Ige has announced that Hawai‘i will receive an addition $41,149,572 in highway funding this federal fiscal year from the Federal-Aid Highway Program through the Federal Highways Administration (FHWA).

Several improvement projects statewide will benefit from the additional money, including Hawaiʻi County’s Mamalahoa Highway Project.

“When I took office, I promised to make better use of federal transportation funds, and I’m proud to report that the pipeline is now the lowest it’s been in 16 years,” said Gov. Ige. “The HDOT team has cleared $245 million and put that money to work on highway improvements in our communities to improve the quality of life for Hawaiʻi’s residents. In two and a half years we have successfully reduced the pipeline from nearly $750 million to $505 million. I thank the HDOT team for its commitment to achieving the goal.”

The pipeline, also known as the unexpended federal balance, is the difference between what is obligated for all projects and what we have expended and have been reimbursed for by the federal government. Every state carries an unexpended balance because of the reimbursement nature of the program and the time it takes to deliver projects.

“The fact that Hawaiʻi was able to receive additional federal money is a testament to all the hard work the HDOT staff has done to bring down the federal pipeline,” said Division Administrator Ralph Rizzo, of the Federal Highway Administration’s Hawaiʻi Division.

The target goal for pipeline reductions is $450 million in federal fiscal year 2018. As of August 31, 2017, the pipeline was $505 million—$20 million less than the intended goal for federal fiscal year 2017.

Hawai‘i will receive a total of $193 million in new highway funding through the program.