Queen Kaahumanu Highway work could begin by summer

The state Department of Transportation hopes to begin work on the Queen Kaahumanu Highway widening project this summer.

The National Park Service has signed the memorandum of agreement that must be finalized before the project can move ahead, and the other parties that must sign off also appear to have put their stamp of approval on the document. The final hurdle is approval by the Advisory Council on Historic Preservation in Washington, D.C.

“I don’t think we’ve ever been this close,” said Sen. Josh Green, D-Kona, Ka‘u. “I think it’s a go. If I’m a little restrained, it’s because we’ve all been frustrated.”

Green said he expects the approval process to wrap up in the next few weeks. During that time, invited parties that include Native Hawaiian groups will have a chance to review the memorandum as part of the consultation process, Green said. However, the ACHP signature is the only remaining approval that is required before the project can move ahead.

“This, the courthouse and Palamanui are the three top things West Hawaii is in need of,” Green said.

Kaloko-Honokohau National Historical Park officials signed the memorandum after initial concerns about water quality and historic preservation, and light pollution, sound and visual impacts to the park, Superintendent Tammy Duchesne confirmed.

More than six years after the project was first awarded to Goodfellow Bros., the $80 million undertaking will widen the highway from two lanes to four between Kealakehe Parkway and Kona International Airport, alleviating heavy congestion along that corridor. Bid protests, concerns about historical sites and the ensuing consultations delayed the construction.

A public informational meeting will be held once construction can proceed, Hawaii DOT spokesman Derek Inoshita said.