Roads in and around Lahaina will be safer in the next three to five years if proposed plans to extend some roadways and improve connectivity come to fruition.
One of 40 priority projects included in a long-term recovery Lahaina plan released by Maui County in December, the work will provide “necessary fire evacuation connectivity on various roads to better support and facilitate public safety in the future," the plan notes.
This phased project would require land acquisitions and road improvements in several locations "where streets do not meet current fire codes, cul-de-sacs are substandard and connections are missing."
Much of the West Maui community was destroyed in a deadly wildfire on Aug. 8, 2023, and the long-term recovery plan provides a “roadmap for the County’s recovery efforts” following the fire and identifies potential funding sources for those projects, the county said.
Here are a few more projects identified in the plan:
Short-term, one to two years for completion
- Development of the “Rebuild Lahaina Plan,” a comprehensive rebuild plan for the community, building upon and incorporating several other community plans and guidelines, and “focusing on business centers, public lands, circulation and mobility, and Front Street.”
- Enhancing emergency communication networks to ensure they are “redundant and reliable in emergencies.”
- Creating an affordable rental housing program that intends to replace and expand affordable housing by reconstructing 10 projects lost in the fire.
Mid-term, three to five years for completion
- Maui Emergency Management Agency Advancement Program, which aims to “improve the county’s ability to identify, mitigate and respond to all hazard threats to the community,” as well as the community’s “awareness and ability” to prepare for and respond to future hazards.
- Rebuilding King Kamehameha III Elementary School and Lahaina Public Library, which will be separate and independent projects, after both community facilities were lost in the 2023 fire.
- Restoration of Lahaina Harbor, which also was destroyed in the fire. According to the plan, the project includes multiple phases and components, including the reconstruction of the harbor fuel system, repair of the loading pier, assessment and repair of water system leaks, among other work.
Long-term, six or more years for completion
- Development of the West Maui Greenway, a proposed 25-mile multi-use trail that will connect Ukumehame to Lipoa Point.
- Lahaina Bypass Phase 1C, the construction of an approximately five-mile, four-lane, controlled-access bypass highway between Keawe Street and Honokowai.
- An interisland ferry system offering public transportation between Maui, Lanai and Molokai that would provide "increased resilience and could serve as evacuation and transportation of goods and services in the event of an emergency," according to the plan. The project is dependent on findings from a feasibility study that is expected to be finished in February, the plan notes.
- Privately led by the West Maui Hospital Foundation, this project will provide construction funding and land acquisition for a critical access hospital in West Maui that will have 25 acute and sub-acute beds, five emergency room bays and three operating rooms, according to the plan.
The full plan can be found online here.
Stephanie Salmons can be reached at stephanie@alohastatedaily.com.
