HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

H.C.R. NO.

63

TWENTY-SECOND LEGISLATURE, 2003

H.D. 1

STATE OF HAWAII

 
   


HOUSE CONCURRENT

RESOLUTION

 

requesting the oahu metropolitan planning organization to Consider the waianae second access road project in its regional transportation plan of 2004 and to identify immediate sources of funding for the project.

 

WHEREAS, the Oahu Metropolitan Planning Organization (OMPO) is responsible for developing the long-range regional transportation plan for surface transportation development on Oahu; and

WHEREAS, inclusion of a project in the regional transportation plan allows a project to be eligible for federal funding and to begin a series of more detailed evaluations; and

WHEREAS, in April 2001, OMPO's Planning Committee approved Oahu's most current regional transportation plan, the "Transportation for Oahu Plan 2025," or "TOP 2025"; and

WHEREAS, OMPO also produces the Oahu Transportation Improvement Program (OTIP), a three-year plan that prioritizes federal funds for city and state surface transportation projects; and

WHEREAS, the OTIP, adopted by OMPO's Policy Committee and approved by the Governor, is part of the Statewide Transportation Improvement Program, the document upon which the United States Department of Transportation bases its obligation of federal funds for transportation projects in Hawaii; and

WHEREAS, all projects identified in the OTIP must be consistent with the TOP 2025; and

WHEREAS, the TOP 2025 also identifies illustrative projects that are outside the scope of the regional transportation plan, but may be considered for inclusion in the plan should funds become available; and

WHEREAS, illustrative projects do not become eligible for federal funding until, among other things, a funding source is identified and the project is included in the regional transportation plan; and

WHEREAS, the Waianae second access road across the Waianae range is included in the TOP 2025 as an illustrative project; and

WHEREAS, although OMPO's Planning Committee selected the project as top priority for future funding among illustrative projects, its estimated cost of $515,000,000 in the year 2000 could not support inclusion of the project in the TOP 2025 at the time; and

WHEREAS, the Legislature finds, however, that immediate action is necessary to address the critical need for an alternate route to the Waianae Coast to alleviate traffic congestion and accommodate the growing population on the Leeward side of Oahu; now, therefore,

BE IT RESOLVED by the House of Representatives of the Twenty-second Legislature of the State of Hawaii, Regular Session of 2003, the Senate concurring, that OMPO's Policy Committee is requested to consider including the Waianae second access road project in its regional transportation plan of 2004, identifying immediate sources of funding for the project, and providing for priority of the project in the OTIP; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that certified copies of this Concurrent Resolution be transmitted to the Executive Director of the Oahu Metropolitan Planning Organization, Chair of the Oahu Metropolitan Planning Organization Planning Committee, Chair of the Oahu Metropolitan Planning Organization Citizen Advisory Committee, Chair of the Waianae Coast Transportation Concerns Group, and Chair of the Waianae Coast Neighborhood Board.

Report Title:

OMPO; Waianae Second Access Road