HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

H.R. NO.

124

TWENTY-NINTH LEGISLATURE, 2017

 

STATE OF HAWAII

 

 

 

 

 

HOUSE RESOLUTION

 

 

urging the OAHU METROPOLITAN PLANNING ORGANIZATION to expedite the FEASIBILITY STUDY ON THE realignment of farrington highway.

 

 

 


     WHEREAS, Farrington Highway is not only the major roadway on Oahu's leeward coast, it is also the sole access route that links the Waianae district to the rest of Oahu, including metropolitan Honolulu; and

 

     WHEREAS, along Farrington Highway lies Makaha Beach Park, which is a well-known location that provides residents and tourists with an area for swimming, bodyboarding, and surfing; and

 

     WHEREAS, according to the 1997 Makaha Beach Park master plan final environmental assessment, Farrington Highway's shoulder was destroyed and repaired in 1983 after strong waves eroded a 200-foot by 500-foot-wide area of the park; and

 

     WHEREAS, beach erosion at Makaha Beach Park and safety concerns for pedestrians who have to cross Farrington Highway to get to the parking lot and bathrooms continue to be problems that residents of Makaha and others have faced over the years; and

 

     WHEREAS, state and city officials had requested the United States Army Corps of Engineers to conduct a study, which was completed in 1985 and determined that Farrington Highway should be realigned to protect it from further wave damage; and

 

     WHEREAS, the Farrington Highway realignment project was included in the Oahu Metropolitan Planning Organization's (OMPO) Oahu Regional Transportation Plan for 2035, but the project is no longer included in its draft plan for 2040 due to the feasibility study being initiated and funded through OMPO; and

     WHEREAS, OMPO has recently solicited proposals for a feasibility study to evaluate the social, environmental, technical, and economic impacts, costs, and benefits of realigning Farrington Highway mauka of Makaha Beach Park; and

 

     WHEREAS, the Legislature finds that it is crucial to begin the planning process to move Farrington Highway more inland or mauka of Makaha Beach Park to address safety concerns and to preserve and protect Makaha Beach Park; now, therefore,

 

     BE IT RESOLVED by the House of Representatives of the Twenty-ninth Legislature of the State of Hawaii, Regular Session of 2017, that the Oahu Metropolitan Planning Organization is urged to expedite its feasibility study on the realignment of Farrington Highway; and

 

     BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that a certified copy of this Resolution be transmitted to the Interim Executive Director of the Oahu Metropolitan Planning Organization.

 

 

 

 

OFFERED BY:

_____________________________

 

 

Report Title: 

Farrington Highway; Makaha Beach Park; Oahu Metropolitan Planning Organization