HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

H.C.R. NO.

145

TWENTY-SEVENTH LEGISLATURE, 2014

 

STATE OF HAWAII

 

 

 

 

 


HOUSE CONCURRENT

RESOLUTION

 

 

requesting the department of transportation to conduct certain traffic and safety studies for the ewa area of oahu.

 

 

 


     WHEREAS, traffic congestion is a serious problem faced by cities around the country and throughout the world; and

 

WHEREAS, traffic congestion negatively impacts the quality of life and can result in daily delays and the inability to plan events, excessive consumption of fossil fuels and further damage to our environment, increased stress and road rage incidents, and increased risk of accidents and crashes; and

 

     WHEREAS, traffic congestion in Honolulu has been ranked consistently as one of the worst in the nation, ranking second and third in two separate studies published in 2013; and

 

     WHEREAS, according to TomTom's traffic index, the average commute time in Honolulu is around 30 minutes, and a commuter will experience around 76 hours of delays per year; and

 

     WHEREAS, increased traffic in Hawaii has helped contribute to a surprising rate of around 10,000 serious traffic accidents a year; between 120 and 150 fatalities occur as a result of such accidents, with 8,000 to 12,000 seriously injured; and

 

     WHEREAS, the problems with traffic in Honolulu are particularly pronounced in the weekday commute between metro Honolulu and the Ewa area of Oahu; and

 

     WHEREAS, traffic congestion may only worsen as more and more residents move west in pursuit of affordable homes, adding even more stress to an already strained infrastructure in the region; now, therefore,

     BE IT RESOLVED by the House of Representatives of the Twenty-seventh Legislature of the State of Hawaii, Regular Session of 2014, the Senate concurring, that the Department of Transportation is requested to conduct a traffic and safety study on:

 

     (1)  The H-1 Freeway, on weekdays, in the eastbound direction from exit number 2 to exit number 21B from 5:00 a.m. to 10:00 a.m., and in the westbound direction from exit number 21B to exit number 7 from 2:30 p.m. to 7:00 p.m., to develop alternative traffic solutions and assess the feasibility of adding a shoulder lane from exit number 2 to exit number 8A; and

 

     (2)  Kunia Road (Highway 750), on weekdays, in the north and south bound directions from the H-1 Freeway off-ramp at exit number 5B to Kunia Drive, and from Kunia Drive to the H-1 Freeway on-ramp at exit number 5A, from 5:00 a.m. to 10:00 a.m. and from 3:30 p.m. to 7:00 p.m., to develop alternative traffic solutions; and

 

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Department of Transportation upon concluding its studies, is requested to report all of its findings, recommendations, and any proposed legislation to the Legislature no later than twenty days before the convening of the Regular Session of 2015; and

 

     BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that a certified copy of this Concurrent Resolution be transmitted to the Director of Transportation.

 

 

 

 

OFFERED BY:

_____________________________

 

 

Report Title: 

Transportation; Traffic Study; DOT