Sen. Schatz secures federal funding to repair 2 Big Island bridges

Hawai‘i is set to receive $74.6 million from the U.S. Department of Transportation for the rehabilitation of the Nānue and Hakalau bridges on Hawai‘i Island.

U.S. Sen. Brian Schatz (D-Hawai‘i) urged the federal agency to allocate funding for these projects which will help maintain traffic capacity and safety. The funding, which comes from the infrastructure law that Congress passed in 2021, will also enable the completion of environmental remediation of lead paint under Hakalau Bridge that led to the closure of Hakalau Beach Park.

“This funding will help improve the safety of bridges that so many in East Hawai‘i rely on every day,” said Schatz, who is also chairman of the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Transportation, Housing and Urban Development. “I’ll continue working to make sure Hawai‘i receives its fair share of federal dollars.”

Both Nānue and Hakalau bridges require significant rehabilitation to maintain operations along State Route 19 which is key for freight and a primary route of commercial vehicles traveling between Hilo and Kona. Without these upgrades, traffic on the bridges would have had to be rerouted for months out of the year in the coming years, if not closed entirely.