The state will spend more than $350 million in developing bicycle and pedestrian infrastructure across the state in the next decade.
The Hawai‘i Department of Transportation unveiled Monday its Priority Multimodal Transportation Plan, another infrastructure plan outlining the state’s course of action to reach zero carbon emissions in the transportation industry by 2045.
The Multimodal Plan was preceded by HDOT’s Energy Security and Waste Reduction Plan earlier this year. Both plans were responses to a settlement agreement following the Navahine v. Hawai‘i Department of Transportation case, in which a group of Native Hawaiian youths had sued the state for allegedly making insufficient commitments to reach the 2045 goal.
The latest plan lists 132 upcoming or in-development projects across all islands as part of the Priority Multimodal Network, a series of projects that can fill gaps in existing pedestrian, bicycle or transit networks on each island between 2025 and 2034. All told, those projects would cost $358 million, with $261 million to be spent on pedestrian infrastructure — sidewalks, mostly — and $195 million for bike infrastructure. Pedestrian and bike infrastructure costs overlap for many of the projects.
The plan does not provide specifics for any of the projects in the network; impacts to existing vehicle traffic flows are not detailed.
HDOT announced Monday that it plans to invest $307 million to the project and invited community members to comment on the plan and discuss what projects are important for their neighborhoods. A series of local meetings will be held statewide over the next week; one has already been held on Kaua‘i.
The majority of projects on the list — and the ones with the largest price tags — are slated for O‘ahu, the biggest of which is the $27 million ongoing project developing a pedestrian bridge and bicycle path between Wahiawā and Whitmore Village. Other major projects on O‘ahu include a $21.5 million shared use path in Kahuku (planned to start construction in 2026) and a $20.6 million queue jump lane — a dedicated lane allowing for buses to enter an intersection before other traffic — on Farrington Highway in Wai‘anae.
Kaua‘i is another major beneficiary of the plan, with a dozen bus stops across the island planned for construction in 2027 — to the tune of $200,000 a pop — along with a $16.6 million sidewalk along Kūhiō Highway between Līhu‘e and Hanamā‘ulu, which has a planned start date of 2028.
Hawai‘i Island would receive a smattering of bus stops, bike lanes and sidewalks in its more rural neighborhoods including Nā‘ālehu and Ocean View.
Meanwhile, one project is slated for Moloka‘i: a $1.8 million shared use path along Farrington Avenue, with a start date in 2026.
All told, HDOT stated that the plan includes 52 miles of bike baths and 48 miles of sidewalks and walking paths, along with 32 bus projects.
Three public meetings will be held over the next week for Maui, O‘ahu and Hawai‘i Island residents on Nov. 13, 17 and 18, respectively. Residents can sign up for those meetings virtually and submit comments here.
