Council passes resolutions seeking help with roads

The County Council has passed a pair of resolutions urging state legislators to devote resources to improving Hawaii County’s road infrastructure.

Council members voted unanimously Wednesday in favor of resolutions 593 and 598, the former of which urges the state to allocate resources to improve roads in Puna, and the latter of which requests the state allow counties to use a percentage of general excise and fuel tax revenues to maintain private roads.

The nonbinding resolutions were introduced earlier this month to address insufficient infrastructure around the island.

Puna Councilwoman Ashley Kierkiewicz, who introduced 593, said at a previous meeting that Highway 130 is woefully unequipped to deal with the 40,000 vehicles that drive it every day, leading to frequent traffic jams and accidents.

Resolution 593 does not list specific solutions, but merely urges the Legislature to “prioritize, significantly invest in, and develop” road improvements throughout Puna.

Hamakua Councilwoman Heather Kimball, who introduced Resolution 598, said having properly maintained private roads will improve emergency response times in rural subdivisions.

Both resolutions received unanimous support and passed Wednesday with little discussion.