Highways

LIHUE – The state Department of Transportation (DOT) and Governor Neil Abercrombie celebrated the completion of the first segment of the Kaumualii Highway Widening Project and broke ground on the next phase in a ceremony today in Lihue.

The first segment widened the highway from two-to-four-lanes from Anonui Road, west of the Kauai Community College (KCC) campus, over 1.8-miles to the approach to the Lihue Mill Bridge.  New bike lanes and sidewalks were also added to help keep cyclists and pedestrians safe.  Total cost for this segment was approximately $39 million, with 80-percent paid for by federal funds.

“This road widening project will enhance the quality of life for those who live in this area,” stated Governor Abercrombie.  “This is an example of our New Day works projects, which allows us to partner with other government entities to create jobs for our local workforce and improve the lives of our residents.”

The upcoming phase will continue the widening east to Rice Street and include the construction of a new bridge structure adjacent to the Lihue Mill Bridge.  Project funding will include $36.3 million in federal funding, $22 million of which will come from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA).  State funds will cover the remaining $3.4 million of the project cost.

“Our next phase of the Kaumualii Highway Widening Project will solve a long-time bottleneck at the Lihue Mill Bridge and help to improve traffic from Downtown Lihue to the Kukui Grove shopping district and past the busy KCC campus,” said DOT Director Glenn Okimoto.  “We want to thank Senator Inouye and our congressional delegation for their strong support and our partners at the Federal Highway Administration for making this project possible.”

The new bridge structure will accommodate two lanes of westbound traffic and allow eastbound traffic to run on the existing Lihue Mill Bridge.  Project completion is anticipated in mid-2015.

State, county and federal officials break ground on the upcoming phase of the Kaumualii Highway Widening Project that will address a traffic bottleneck near the Lihue Mill Bridge.