STUDY: Hawaiʻi No. 2 in Nation for Cost of Road Construction

Crack in Highway 130. PC: Ikaika Marzo

It’s no secret—Hawaiʻi’s roads need repair. In fact, the American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE) recently gave the Aloha State’s infrastructure a grade of D+.

One challenge is the cost to build them. A new study released by Zoro.com on infrastructure contracts in the U.S. ranks Hawaiʻi second in the nation among the states with the highest construction costs per mile: $25,000. Only Washington, D.C. beat out Hawaiʻi with costs soaring to $30,000 per mile.

Nonetheless, Hawaiʻi ranks No. 4 in the nation among the states receiving the most federal contract awards for roads, bridges and highway construction. In 2018, Hawaiʻi received $113.2 million according to Zoro.com.

Two cities on Hawaiʻi Island are slated to receive federal funding for future improvements: Hakalau on the Hamakua Coast (enough to rank it among the top 10 cities in the nation receiving federal funds) and Kamuela (slated to receive $35 million for improvements and repairs).

In total, Hawaiʻi will receive $81.7 million in federal funds for future infrastructure improvements, according to the study.

Graphic courtesy of Zoro.com.