WAILUKU, Hawaii — Maui County will receive $25 million for the Waiale Road extension through the Rebuilding American Infrastructure with Sustainability and Equity discretionary grant program, announced Mayor Michael Victorino in a news release on Monday.

What You Need To Know

  • The $25 million will extend Waiale Rd. 8,600 feet from its current terminus at East Waiko Rd. southward to Honoapiilani Hwy. to improve traffic flow in the Waikapu area, among other improvements

  • With a total of $50 million secured for Hawaii, Senator Schatz said, “It is rare for any state to get this level of grant funding in a single year”

  • Bidding is expected to open before the end of 2024, and construction will take about 18 months to complete

U.S. Sen. Brian Schatz, D-HI, chairman of the Senate Appropriations Committee on Transportation and Housing, contacted the mayor to share the news after U.S. Secretary of Transportation Pete Buttigieg notified the senator of the approval. Schatz worked closely with the offices of Kauai Mayor Derek Kawakami and Mayor Victorino on their applications, urging DOT Secretary Buttigieg to approve them.

“This is a huge win for Kauai and Maui and our most successful year for big dollar, competitive infrastructure grants,” said Sen. Schatz in a statement from his office. “It is rare for any state to get this level of grant funding in a single year, and it will be put to good use by improving roads, bike lanes, sidewalks and bus stops, connecting communities and making it safer and easier for people to travel.”

According to the U.S. Dept. of Transportation, RAISE grants are highly competitive and the projects it supports are merit-based and evaluated by criteria such as safety, environmental sustainability, quality of life, economic competitiveness and opportunity, state of good repair, partnerships and innovation.

“Upgrading infrastructure to expedite affordable housing construction for our residents is one of my top priorities,” said Mayor Victorino in a release. “This multimillion-dollar investment in Maui County will improve the road safety and alleviate traffic, but more importantly, it will green light construction of 1,666 Central Maui units that residents can afford to rent or purchase.”

The $25 million will extend Waiale Rd. 8,600 feet from its current terminus at East Waiko Rd. southward to Honoapiilani Hwy. to improve traffic flow in the Waikapu area, as well as provide an alternate route between Kahului and Wailuku. It will include multimodal improvements such as two travel lanes, bike lanes, sidewalks, grass swales, and a shared-use path on one side of the roadway. It will also support additional housing.

Kauai County will receive $24.8 million in RAISE grant funding to construct approximately 3.3 miles of roadway improvements on Poipu Rd. from Koloa Town to Poipu. Project includes roundabouts, bike lanes, sidewalks, pedestrian crossings, bus stops, landscaped medians, road resurfacing and drainage improvements.

According to the mayor’s office, bidding is expected to open before the end of 2024. Once construction begins, it will take about 18 months to complete. The total project cost is estimated at $34 million to be funded by county, state and federal sources.

Sarah Yamanaka covers events, environmental and community news for Spectrum News Hawaii.