MEDIA RELEASE

The Māmalahoa Bypass will be closed Friday, January 1 on New Year’s Day. The Bypass will be open Monday, January 4, at 3:30 p.m. for southbound travel.

click for larger view

click for larger view

MEDIA RELEASE

North Kona – Mamalahoa Bypass

The northern section of the Mamalahoa Bypass will be closed Wednesday, Nov. 11, Veterans Day and reopen for southbound travel between the hours of 3:30 p.m. to 6:30 p.m., Thursday, Nov. 12.

Hamakua – Ookala

Kaula Bridge, in Ookala, Hamakua will be closed one month for repairs starting the week of Nov. 16.

The bridge closure does not affect motorists who use the Hawaii Belt Highway.

Residents living on the Honokaa side of Old Mamalahoa Highway will be affected and should exit under the Bridge on Hawaii Belt Road then use Hawaii Belt Highway.

The bridge is scheduled to reopen Dec. 16 weather permitting.

For more information, call the 24/7 hotline at 334-9559.

The Māmalahoa Bypass will be closed Monday, September 7 for Labor Day. The Bypass is open Tuesday at 3:30 p.m. for southbound travel.

normal hours for the Mamalahoa Bypass

MEDIA RELEASE

Mamalahoa Bypass closed Friday, Aug. 21 from 3:30p.m. to 6:30 p.m.

The northern portion of the Māmalahoa Bypass starts at the end of Alii Drive. It runs approximately three miles to the bottom of Halekii Street in Kealakekua’s Kona Scenic subdivision. In observance of a State holiday, Friday, Aug. 21, the Bypass will be closed to southbound travel.

The Bypass reopens Monday, Aug. 24 to one-way southbound travel between the hours of 3:30 p.m. to 6:30 p.m.

MEDIA RELEASE

Approximately one third of the motorists using the new Māmalahoa Bypass are bound for Kealakekua and beyond South Kona and their drive time is cut in half, according to traffic studies conducted by Public Works between March 10 and May 9, 2009. This is consistent with projections of use made by the county Department of Public Works prior to opening the bypass.

Based on traffic studies, Public Works recommends continued use of the Māmalahoa Highway Bypass and a review of operational costs and planned traffic improvements described in Ordinance 08.58 and 08.59 Section 2 e. (1), (2), (3).

The department will present statistics collected during the two months since the bypass opened to the Hawaii County Council Committee on Public Works and Intergovernmental Relations on July 7.

The evaluation is a requirement of the Hawai’i County Council and 1250 Oceanside Partners. It is part of the 180-day trial to determine if the Māmalahoa Highway Bypass should remain open for limited public use.

Māmalahoa Highway Bypass is a 3.45-mile long road in Kona. 1250 Oceanside Partners, developer of Hokuli’a, owns it. Under a grant of easement with the County of Hawai’i, the Māmalahoa Highway Bypass connects to the 4,000-foot long Hale ki’i Street extension. It opened to the public on March 10, providing one-way southbound travel and an alternate route for residents who live in Kealakekua and beyond South Kona.

Based on traffic studies conducted for Ali’i Drive in 2006 and ‘07, the County assessed that 33 percent of traffic traveling on Highway 11 could be diverted to the Māmalahoa Bypass, reducing traffic queues through Honalo Junction and Kainaliu Town. After several months, motorists will decide their preferred route, and the number of vehicles using the bypass was expected to decrease.

During the first two weeks, 563 vehicles entered the bypass daily within the 3-hour timeframe.

During the second two weeks, 455 entered the bypass. In the remaining weeks, 431 entered the bypass.

The Bypass is open between the hours of 3:30 p.m. to 6:30 p.m. weekdays, excluding holidays.

Special off-duty police officers and Public Works employees control traffic to enforce the conditions of the grant of easement from 3 p.m. to 7 p.m. Vehicles, bikes and pedestrians are not permitted on the Bypass. On holidays, a special off-duty officer at the Ali’i Gate reminds motorists the bypass is closed. Message boards and news releases also inform the public of the holiday closure.

Prior to opening the Bypass, the County of Hawai’i completed safety and traffic improvements along Ali’i drive, in Kona Scenic subdivision and on Highway 11. The Traffic, Engineering and Highways divisions implemented these measures. The improvements were to facilitate travel only for additional southbound traffic, and were required by Ordinance No 08-58, 08-59, and 08-64. The cost of these safety improvements is $1,899,822.40.

These safety measures to lessen the impacts from additional traffic were implemented to address the concerns of residents along Ali’i drive, and Kuakini Highway and from Keauhou Resort and Kona Scenic subdivision.

The County of Hawai’i’s Department of Public Works is responsible for a broad range of functional areas. They include the repair and maintenance of most county vehicles and equipment; public and private building construction and inspection; engineering services, construction inspection and maintenance of public streets, highways, and bridges; design, operation and maintenance of certain flood control projects; acquisition of properties for public purposes; design, installation, operation and maintenance of traffic control devices and streetlights.

For a directory of Public Works divisions and services, click on http://co.hawaii.hi.us/directory/dir_pubworks.htm. To download a file about the Māmalahoa Highway Bypass, click on http://co.hawaii.hi.us/info/projects.htm and scroll to Māmalahoa.

MEDIA RELEASE

The Māmalahoa Bypass is closed, Friday, July 3. It reopens to southbound travel from 3:30 p.m. to 6:30 p.m. Monday, July 6. The Māmalahoa Bypass is a two-lane roadway in South Kona to give motorists an alternate route between North and South Kona. It runs North-South and is located midway between the shoreline and Māmalahoa Highway. The Bypass starts at the end of Ali`i drive in Keauhou.

MEDIA RELEASE

The Mamalahoa Bypass in Kona is closed, Monday, May 25, Memorial Day. It will reopen to southbound travel from 3:30 p.m. to 6:30 p.m  Tuesday, May 26. Closing the Bypass on holidays is a condition within the grant of easement between Oceanside 1250 and the County of Hawaii.  

MEDIA RELEASE

Third Circuit Court Judge Ronald Ibarra has ruled for a second time in favor of County of Hawai’i efforts to condemn land to allow completion of the Mamalahoa Bypass Highway.

The county condemnation of the land needed to complete the Bypass Highway from Keauhou to Captain Cook was challenged in court by the owners of the property, including the C&J Coupe Family Limited Partnership.

Ibarra ruled in favor of the condemnation in 2007, but that ruling was appealed to the State Supreme Court by the owners of the property. Last year, the Supreme Court sent the case back to Ibarra with instructions that Ibarra consider the allegation that the condemnation was primarily designed to benefit developer 1250 Oceanside Partners rather than to benefit the public.

In his May 14, 2009 ruling, Judge Ibarra cited studies and plans by the state and county dating back to 1979 that found a public need for a Bypass Highway to relieve “unacceptable” traffic congestion on Mamalahoa Highway.

Ibarra’s ruling noted the widespread public support for the Bypass Highway, and cited the Hawai’i County Council’s 2003 resolution authorizing condemnation of the land for the road. That resolution included a finding that the condemnation and construction of the Bypass Highway served a public purpose.

Ibarra ruled that the Bypass Highway serves the public interest, and found that “no credible evidence was presented that indicated that the County Council intended Oceanside, as opposed to the public, would predominantly benefit” from the condemnation resolution. “The Bypass is a much needed road for the public’s benefit,” Ibarra wrote in his ruling.

Ibarra was also instructed by the Supreme Court in the 2008 ruling to consider whether attorney’s fees and other costs claimed by the Coupe Family Limited Partnership in connection with an unsuccessful 2001 county condemnation attempt were appropriate.

Ibarra’s decision on that matter reduced the fees and costs claimed by the landowner from $2,192,363 to $1,586,871, and reduced other related costs claimed by the landowner from $135,677 to $46,945.

Hawaii247.org

Anyone who would like to comment on the new Mamalahoa Bypass may visit the Department of Public Works’ Mamalahoa Bypass page (http://co.hawaii.hi.us/info/mamalahoa/Mamalahoa%20Bypass%20Page.pdf). 

Scroll down to the bottom of the second page and click the link to the Public Comment Forum. 

The bypass opened March 10 – for three hours weekday afternoons, and one southbound lane only. The route is to be evaluated after 60 days, or about the middle of May. 

So get you comments in ahead of the evaluation. It doesn’t always seem like it, but they really do read your comments!

MEDIA RELEASE

The Mamalahoa Bypass is closed, Friday, April 10 for Good Friday. It will be open Monday, April 13. Closing the Bypass on holidays is a condition in the grant of easement between Oceanside 1250 and the County of Hawaii for only southbound travel from 3:30 p.m. to 6:30 p.m. Monday to Friday excluding holidays.

View Larger Map

MEDIA RELEASE

March 24, Palani Road–The makai bound lane of Palani Road between Kamaka’eha Avenue and Queen Kaahumanu Highway will be temporarily closed from Tuesday morning, 3/24/09 to Friday afternoon, 3/27/09. Construction crews will be excavating, grading, and paving Palani Road from the Kailua-Kona fire station to Queen Kaahumanu Highway as part of the Queen Kaahumanu Highway Widening project. The mauka bound lane will not be affected. The closure will be implemented at 6:30 am on Tuesday.

View Larger Map

March 26, Captain Cook– HELCO will complete the replacement of a pole, in Capt Cook across from the Fire & Police station. A 75-foot transmission pole will be installed. Several weeks ago lines were transfered to a temporary pole. Work begins, Thursday, March 26 at 9pm and scheduled to end Friday, March 27 no later than 6a.m. Two lanes will remain open to traffic.

The Mamalahoa Bypass is closed, Thursday, March 26, Prince Kuhio Day. It is open on Friday, March 27. Closing the Bypass on holidays is a condition within the grant of easement between Oceanside 1250 and the County of Hawaii for southbound travel from 3:30 p.m. to 6:30 p.m. Monday to Friday excluding holidays.

March 30, Palani Road, near Grace Church–One lane will be closed Monday, March 30 at 9pm for a pole and utility transfer by Hawaiian Telcom. Work is scheduled to be completed by 6am, March 31 .