3/17/24

HAPPY SAINT PATRICK’S DAY!  Do we need the luck of the Irish to get the missing segments constructed?

This is the North-South Collector Road corridor between Waipuilani and Kūlanihāko‘i. The foreground is the base of the Waipuilani Stream.

While the North-South Collector Road (NSCR) plan addressed in the 1998 community plan was to extend across the entire Kihei sub area,  we are just examining the next two phases between Waipuilani and Ka‘ono‘ulu.  For over a decade various County Administration officials have informed us that the process was continuing, that design work was underway: https://gokihei.org/environment/nscr-construction-date-now-two-years-later-2024-for-next-segment.

Yet last year the Department of Public Works (DPW) advised that the design work was still ongoing between Waipuilani and Ka‘ono‘ulu. That indicates that the prior information was untrue.

Then last July (7.1.23) the current administration advised that the County achieved a federal $25M grant for construction: https://bit.ly/nscr-grant.

The Mayor mentioned that grant in his state of the County address on Friday (3/15), but that funding has been there for nine months.

So now these segments could be constructed.  Well maybe one of the two, as DPW advised $25,000,000 was insufficient, but full speed ahead for that one, right?  No, not so fast. DPW advised some adjacent home owners were not cooperating

Hmmm? Over a year ago,  the planning firm contracted by DPW, Munekiyo Hiraga, asked KCA to compose a letter they could use as they were meeting with these homeowners, & we did so:  https://docs.google.com/document/d/1AlMoIQO7eoMmXmBF-H5B1uVEcARI98ej/

So what has DPW been doing for the past year on the matter? What are the legal  options? If the funding is only for one segment, have they examined constructing that one first where there are fewer adjacent homes?

Meanwhile the community has  continued to be in overwhelming support for multimodal transportation infrastructure, emergency escape route and a firebreak.

The NSCR is one of the topics the mayor plans to address this Tuesday (3/19/2024) evening at Pro Arts Playhouse at 6:30 PM, We hope to get some positive news.

Tuesday, March 19 – 6:30 pm
ProArts Playhouse, Azeka Makai
1280 S. Kihei Road

Meet Maui Mayor Richard Bissen

Among the topics to be discussed:

Flood Mitigation

Fire Prevention

The North-South Collector Road