Kapiolani Street Extension Moving Forward

The state is scheduled to take up a request Friday from the County of Hawaii for three parcels of land for the extension of Kapiolani Street in Hilo.

The Board of Land and Natural Resources is also being asked for easements and rights-of-way on other state parcels to allow the street to be extended from Lanikaula Street to Mohouli Street.

A spokeswoman for the county Department of Public Works said a request for bids for the new roadway is tentatively set to go out in June.

The current view from the end of Kapiolani Street near the University of Hawaii at Hilo. File photo.

Noelani Whittington said if that schedule holds, a notice to begin work on the four-block stretch could be issued by December. Construction is expected to take a little more than a year.

The County Council has authorized the sale of $13 million in bonds for the project.

The extension is expected to ease traffic on Kinoole and Kilauea streets by providing a new link between the University of Hawaii at Hilo and downtown area.

The project will extend Kapiolani toward the university from the Hospice of Hilo facility off Mohouli Street. Photo by Dave Smith.

The new roadway will include a concrete bridge over Waiakea Stream, bike lanes, a central median and turning lane, and sidewalks, curbs and gutters.

It will also enhance access to undeveloped state lands for public uses, as it will be the border for property earmarked for university expansion.

According to an environmental assessment for the project, the extension has been planned by the county since 1967.