Puna Makai Alternate Route

Traffic in Highway 130

Puna residents faced a major setback when $1.5 million in state and county funding for the Puna Makai Alternate Route (PMAR) feasibility study lapsed on June 30, 2024. The state funding, secured in 2022 by Representative Greggor Ilagan, was intended to determine the best road alignment for the project. However, delays and a lack of support from the previous Hawaii County Council led to this unfortunate outcome. This study was essential for developing an alternative route to ease traffic congestion and provide a safe evacuation path during natural disasters.

From the start, the Hawaiʻi County Council chose not to allocate funding for the Puna Makai Alternate Route study. Their initial vote against the bill confirming the funding played a key role in this setback. Instead of reconsidering their decision, they advanced a new bill that redirected funds toward a broader Puna-wide study—prolonging the timeline and shifting focus away from dedicated efforts to establish the Puna Makai Alternate Route.

This lapse was a direct result of decisions made by the County Council. Their unwillingness to commit to the Puna Makai Alternate Route and failure to properly allocate the funding are the reasons we are now facing this setback.

• June 2023 – The County of Hawaiʻi requested the release of funds through a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with the Department of Transportation (DOT).
• September 2023 – The DOT approved and signed off on the request.
• October 2023 – The Governor released the funds, allocating them to the County with a requirement that a $500,000 match be provided.
• January 2024 – The Hawaiʻi County Council voted down a bill that would have allocated and confirmed the funding.
• Following the vote – Rather than addressing the issue, the Council introduced another bill to conduct a broader Puna-wide study, diverting focus from the Puna Makai Alternate Route.
• March 2024 – At this stage, it was believed that the funding had been accepted. The previous administration indicated that the next step was awarding the contract. Efforts continued to monitor the status.
• June 30, 2024 – The funds unexpectedly lapsed because the County failed to provide the required match, which would have triggered the release of state funding.

Despite this setback, Representative Ilagan remains committed to securing the necessary funding and keeping the project on track—this time without relying on the County Council. While he initially believed that collaboration between the County and State was essential for the project’s long-term success, it has become clear that the state must take the lead to ensure its completion and deliver for the Puna community.

An alignment study is needed to determine the best possible route for the Puna Makai Alternate Route (PMAR) that the community can support. Previous studies conducted in 2005 left unresolved issues, preventing progress and a clear course of action. Without a defined and agreed-upon route, unnecessary expenses and delays could arise, including additional environmental impact studies, archaeological and cultural resource assessments, traffic analyses, and permitting reviews for multiple alternative options. Instead, resources should be focused on identifying and advancing a single designated route that would officially serve as PMAR.