Draft Environmental Assessment on Waikōloa Road roundabout now available for review

The Department of Public Works and the Office of Planning and Sustainable Development released the Waikōloa Road/Paniolo Avenue Roundabout Draft Environmental Assessment.

An Environmental Assessment, or EA, draft is a document prepared to evaluate the potential environmental impacts of a proposed project, plan, policy, or program. Its purpose is to inform decision-makers and the public about the environmental consequences of implementing the proposed action and to identify measures to mitigate adverse impacts or enhance positive ones.

The draft EA is available for agency and public review on the county’s website at https://hawaii-county-public-works-hawaiicountygis.hub.arcgis.com/ under Newsroom and the Office of Planning and Sustainable Developments website at https://files.hawaii.gov/dbedt/erp/Doc_Library/2024-03-08-HA-DEA-Waikoloa-Rd-Paniolo-Ave-Roundabout.pdf.

Hard copies of the draft EA are available at two locations: the Hawai‘i County Department of Public Works Office, Aupuni Center, 101 Pauahi Street, Suite 7, in Hilo, and the West Hawai‘i Civic Center, 75- 5044 Ane Keohokalole Highway, Bldg. D, 1st Floor, Kailua-Kona.

If no substantive issues are identified during the comment period on the draft EA, DPW will adopt the EA as final, issue a Finding of No Significant Impact, and fund the project. If substantive comments are received, DPW, alongside Bowers and Kubota, will evaluate and address those comments in a Final EA or as part of the FONSI documentation and may consider whether changes to the grant or project implementation are appropriate. The FONSI will be posted to the same websites as listed above. DPW will only publish another public notice for this project if a final EA is published.

Interested parties are invited to submit written comments on the draft EA by April 8.

Comments should be mailed to: Bowers and Kubota Consulting, Inc. at 2153 N. King Street, Suite 200, Honolulu, Hawai‘i 96819.

Emailed comments are preferred. Send to bkplanning_comments@bowersandkubota.com; include “Waikoloa Road and Paniolo Avenue Roundabout” in your subject line.