Hawai‘i County looks to support traffic study for wildfire evacuation in Waikōloa Village

The County of Hawaiʻi is seeking public comment on a proposed amendment that would support a Waikōloa Village Wildfire Evacuation Traffic Study with funding from the Community Development Block Grant Mitigation Action Plan.

The amendment would reallocate funding from an already fulled funded project–revising the County’s zoning and subdivision codes–to now support the evacuation traffic study.

The purpose of the evacuation traffic study includes:

• Assessing wildfire risks;
• Evaluating traffic patterns based on evacuation routes and vulnerable populations;
• Analyzing future growth impacts;
• Developing strategies for accessibility;
• Determining evacuation timing to aid first responders in emergencies.

The 30-day public comment period for the amendment will continue through April 30. A virtual public meeting will be held at 5 p.m. April 16 over Zoom.

Another amendment updates the Flood Studies and Assessments program to focus on the North Kona district instead of the studies proposed for Puna and South Kohala since they are now proceeding with other funding sources.

The County of Hawaiʻi received $6.862 million for hazard mitigation projects through the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development’s CDBG-MIT program. The Action Plan and proposed amendment can be found the County Department of Planning’s website.

Comments can be submitted in-person or by mail to 101 Pauahi St., Suite 3, Hilo, HI 96720, or 74-5044 Ane Keohokālole Highway #E, Kailua-Kona, HI 96740. Comments can be emailed to cdbgmit@hawaiicounty.gov