Puna’s Highway 130 improvements shift focus to roundabouts for increased safety, efficiency

The State of Hawaiʻi is preparing to move forward on long-awaited road projects to make Highway 130 in Puna safer and more efficient.

In July, state Rep. Greggor Ilagan received notice from Gov. Josh Green that the administration had released $12.2 million in highway revenue bond funds meant for capital improvement program projects to the Keaʻau-Pāhoa Road improvements.

Highway 130, or Keaʻau-Pāhoa Road, is a two-lane corridor in and out of Puna that has drastically increased in traffic volume to more than 20,000 vehicles a day in each direction.

Residents in the district have seen their 20-minute drives to and from Hilo double or even triple in recent years, especially as the area has continued to develop, according to Ilagan, who represents Puna.

Risky turns onto the highway have also been the source of accidents, a primary reason lawmakers have worked to secure funding for road improvements over the years.

“My main priority is reducing traffic and increasing safety on all Puna roads,” Ilagan said. “The goal of this funding is to expand the roundabout at Highway 130 and ʻĀinaloa Boulevard, and build two roundabouts at the intersections of Highway 130 and Makuʻu and at Orchidland.”

The project is expected to start sometime next year, but first the state must hire a contractor.

When Green announced the release of funds to the state Department of Transportation, the exact scope of the work was not provided to Ilagan, state Sen. Joy Buenaventura and state Rep. Chris Todd..

Recently, Robin Shishido, deputy director of the Department of Transportation’s Highways Division, visited Puna for a town hall meeting that included Ilagan and Buenaventura to discuss the specific work and hear any concerns from residents regarding the future of the thoroughfare.

The goal for Highway 130 improvements has shifted from adding capacity to emphasizing roundabouts, traffic signals and contraflow lanes, primarily because they are less expensive and take less time to complete.

To alleviate the congestion future construction may cause, Ilagan emphasizes that everything should happen sequentially, beginning with the widening of the existing ʻĀinaloa roundabout.

“It backs up significantly at ʻĀinaloa, so we want to make sure it increases by about 95 feet in diameter, similar to the roundabout in Pāhoa,” Ilagan said. “By doing it sequentially, we can find the next problem area after the first intersection is addressed. At the end of the day, we have to live with the changes we make, so we should do them intentionally.”

Shishido listened to several opinions about improving safety and the flow of traffic, as well as ideas surrounding a potential Puna Makai Alternative Route.

Ilagan said the State Legislature was successful in securing the $1.5 million that had previously lapsed for the Puna Makai Alternative Route feasibility study. The Department of Transportation has begun the process of releasing these funds and hiring a firm to do the work.

“This is just the first step, but it is a meaningful one,” Ilagan said in a social media post. “I remain committed to moving the Puna Makai Alternative Route forward so that our community can have the safe and reliable road access we deserve.”

Following the success of last year, Ilagan has scheduled  “12 Days of Puna Town Halls,” which will begin on Dec. 1. These meetings aim to facilitate outreach and engagement with residents in the Puna community.

Town halls will begin at 5:30 p.m. unless otherwise stated. The dates and locations are listed below:

• Uncle Roberts on Monday, Dec. 1
• Pāhoa Community Center on Tuesday, Dec. 2
• Hawaiian Beaches Park on Wednesday, Dec. 3
• Hawaiian Sanctuary on Thursday, Dec. 4
• Virtual Town Hall on Friday, Dec. 5
• Nanawale Longhouse on Saturday, Dec. 6
• Hawaiian Shores Community Center Sunday, Dec. 7
• Solid Rock Church on Monday, Dec. 15
• Leilani Estates Community Center on Tuesday, Dec. 16
• SPACE on Wednesday, Dec. 17
• Hawaiian Paradise Park Community Center on Saturday, Dec. 20
• Black Sands Beach Subdivision on Sunday, Dec. 21