Meeting Summary of the

Oahu Metropolitan Planning Organization

 

CITIZEN ADVISORY COMMITTEE

 

Wednesday, February 21, 2007, 3:30 p.m.
City Council Committee Room
Honolulu Hale, Room 205
530 South King Street, Honolulu, Hawaii

 

 

Members Present:                                                                        

Committee for Balanced Transportation

Joe Magaldi, Jr., Chair

NB #10 Makiki-Lower Punchbowl-Tantalus

Charles Carole, Vice Chair

Castle & Cooke Homes Hawaii

Sherman Wong

Eye of the Pacific

Patricia Blum

Hawaii Teamsters and Allied Workers, Local 996

Michael Costa

InterAgency COORDINATION Councils

CC Curry

Land Use Research Foundation

Gladys Quinto

League of Women Voters

Jacqueline Parnell

NB #01 Hawaii Kai

Don Huff

NB #03 Waialae-Kahala

Lester Fukuda

NB #05 Diamond Head-Kapahulu-Saint Louis Heights

Joe Otto

NB #08 McCully-Moiliili

Ron Lockwood

NB #14 Liliha-Alewa-Puunui-Kamehameha Heights

Donald Nitta

NB #21 Pearl City

Cruz J. Vina, Jr.

NB #23 Ewa

Richard Hargrave

NB #34 Makakilo-Kapolei-Honokai Hale

Michael Golojuch

NB #35 Mililani Mauka-Launani Valley

Pamela Young

Pacific Resource Partnership

Richard Kane

Waikiki Residents Association

Daisy Murai

 

Members Absent (Reps):

American Planning Association

Gene Yong

American Society of Civil Engineers

Joy Nishida

American Society of Landscape Architects

Chris Dacus

Charley’s Taxi

Dale Evans

E Noa Corporation

Tom Dinell

Hawaii Bicycling League

Scott Snider

Hawaii Highway Users Alliance

Darci Evans

Hawaii Transportation Association

Gareth Sakakida

Honolulu Community Action Program

Vai Leatiota

Institute of Transportation Engineers

Pete Pascua

Leeward Oahu Transportation Management Association

Gladys Quinto

NB #02 Kuliouou-Kalani Iki

Linda Starr

NB #09 Waikiki

Robert Finley

NB #12 Nuuanu-Punchbowl

Al Canopin, Jr.

NB #13 Downtown

Burton White

NB #18 Aliamanu-Salt Lake-Foster Village

Larry Baird

NB #22 Waipahu

Thomas Maus

NB #24 Waianae Coast

Karen Awana

NB #25 Mililani-Waipio-Melemanu

David Aki

NB #26 Wahiawa

Robert Kent

NB #27 North Shore

Antya Miller

NB #30 Kaneohe

Wendell Lum

North Shore Chamber of Commerce

Gil Riviere

Sierra Club Hawaii Chapter

Randy Ching

Tax Foundation of Hawaii

Lowell Kalapa

Waianae Coast Transportation Concerns Group

Dick Boddy

 

 

Guests Present:

Mary Protheroe

American Association of Retired Persons

Janet Inamine

Citizen

Gregg Matsushima

Hawaii Department of Transportation

Tom Heinrich

Senator Brian Taniguchi

Chris Ritzau

Xian Dai Consulting

 

OMPO Staff Present:

Gordon Lum and Marian Yasuda

 

Chair Joe Magaldi called the meeting to order at 3:34 p.m.  A quorum was present. 

1.  Approval of January 17, 2006 Meeting Minutes

Michael Golojuch moved and Cruz Vina, Jr.  seconded that the November 15, 2006 meeting minutes be approved.  The motion carried unanimously.

 

2. “Upcoming Transportation Projects for the Island of Oahu” Presentation

Scott Ishikawa, Administrative Assistant for Public Affairs, Hawaii Department of Transportation (HDOT), gave a presentation detailing current and upcoming HDOT projects for Oahu.  Projects were grouped by geographic area and presented in this order:

·        Ewa

·        Downtown

·        Windward

 

[Note:  Unless otherwise specified, questions were answered by Mr. Ishikawa.]

Discussion Highlights:

·        In response to a question by Mr. Golojuch:  Mr. Ishikawa will check on the status of the third lane addition to the Kunia Road overpass and will email that information to Mr. Golojuch.

·        In response to a question by Rich Kane:   Puuloa Road, near Salt Lake Boulevard, will include safety measures for pedestrians.  There are plans for crosswalks and traffic signals. 

·        In response to a follow-up question by Mr. Kane:  On the widening of Fort Weaver Road from four to six lanes, Mr. Ishikawa is not sure if a pedestrian audit has been done.  A pedestrian overpass was requested at one time.

·        In response to a comment by CC Curry regarding the lack of sidewalks on Renton Road at Fort Weaver Road and the lack of pedestrian analysis:  An attempt was made to synchronize the lights to relieve traffic.  The changes resulted in an increase in pedestrian accidents; that effort was abandoned.  An overpass was considered, but the ADA requirements were extensive.

·        In response to a follow-up comment from Ms. Curry regarding elderly and disabled being killed due to lack of pedestrian access:   Mr. Ishikawa will check to see if there will be pedestrian islands in the middle of Fort Weaver Road.  The second phase of the project does include sidewalks up to Geiger Road.

·        In response to a question by Vice Chair Charles Carole:  The Ala Moana Boulevard repaving project first phase has begun.  It will be done in phases in order to spread the money around to various projects around the State.

·        In response to a question by Lester Fukuda:  The repairs to Kamehameha Highway (in Pearl City in front of Sam’s Club) will be funded through the road maintenance contract; $5 million has been requested from the Legislature for this project.

·        In response to a comment by Mr. Vina regarding the success of the road maintenance contract in Aiea:  It works well for small stretches of road repairs that are not programmed in the next two years.

·        In response to a question by Mr. Kane:  A creative solution may be sought for the left turn in front of Mayor Wright Housing on Liliha Street.  The City has utilized some creative solutions in similar situations, such as on Kaonohi Street, in front of the old Kamehameha Drive-In; they are extending the length of the left-turn lane onto Moanalua Road.

·        In response to a question by Tom Heinrich:  The left-turn lane from the Pali Highway onto Vineyard Boulevard will be extended about 300 feet back.  As a result, three displaced Monkeypod trees will be relocated to Ala Moana Boulevard after the approval of the Outdoor Circle. 

·        In response to a follow-up question by Mr. Heinrich:  Traffic phasing improvements will be made at the Nimitz Highway and Pacific Street intersection to alleviate the backlog from the left turns.

 

3.  CAC Task Force Formation to Attend the OahuMPO Certification Review

·        Gordon Lum explained that the Oahu MPO will be undergoing a certification review. The Federal Transit Administration and the Federal Highway Administration will be conducting a review for the recertification of the OahuMPO to ensure that the metropolitan planning process is being carried out in accordance with all applicable requirements.  As a part of that review process, a public meeting is tentatively scheduled for Wednesday, April 4, 2007 in the Mayor’s conference room from 3:30 - 4:30 p.m.  A CAC investigative task force is being formed to allow more than two members, but less than a quorum to attend this meeting and report back to the CAC membership.  If the number of CAC members reaches a quorum, a CAC meeting will be convened.  CAC members were invited to sign-up to participate on the investigative task force.  If more than 12 CAC members volunteer for the task force, the additional members would be considered alternates for the task force.

 

4. Transportation Enhancement Program Call for Projects and CAC Subcommittee Formation

Mr. Lum gave some information about the Transportation Enhancement (TE) Program and the OahuMPO’s current call for projects for the Island of Oahu.

·        The TE Program for Oahu specifies that ten percent of federal funds distributed to the Surface Transportation Program be dedicated for projects that enhance the transportation experience.  These activities must be over and above normal environmental mitigation for transportation improvements and have a direct relationship to the intermodal transportation system. 

·        The OahuMPO is currently conducting a call for TE projects.  The deadline for submittal is March 2, 2007.  Proposals may be submitted to the OahuMPO office by mail, fax, or email.  The proposals will be screened for eligibility through a collaborative process that will include the Hawaii Department of Transportation, the City Department of Transportation Services, the OahuMPO, and the Federal Highway Administration

·        Once the project proposals have been screened for eligibility, the CAC will be asked to prioritize the projects for Oahu.  A CAC Subcommittee is being formed to perform this task and to present their recommendations to the CAC.

·        In order to be eligible for TE funding, a project must have a City or State sponsor agency that is experienced in the use of federal surface transportation funds.  It is not possible to determine the probability of the agencies adopting proposed projects for sponsorship.

·        In response to a question by Mr. Heinrich:  Safety-related projects are not eligible for these funds.  Projects must have a transportation component and fall into one of the following twelve categories:

o       Provision of facilities for pedestrians and bicycles

o       Provision of safety and educational activities for pedestrians and bicyclists

o       Acquisition of scenic easements and scenic or historic sites (including historic battlefields)

o       Scenic or historic highway programs (including the provision of tourist and welcome center facilities)

o       Landscaping and other scenic beautification

o       Historic preservation

o       Rehabilitation and operation of historic transportation buildings, structures, or facilities (including historic railroad facilities and canals)

o       Preservation of abandoned railway corridors (including the conversion and use of the corridors for pedestrian or bicycle trails)

o       Inventory, control, and removal of outdoor advertising

o       Archaeological planning and research

o       Environmental mitigation to address water pollution due to highway runoff or reduce vehicle-caused wildlife mortality while maintaining habitat connectivity

o       Establishment of transportation museums

 

5.  OahuMPO Meeting Highlights – Policy Committee & Technical Advisory Committee

5.A.  Policy Committee

·        The Policy Committee met on February 15, 2007.  At that meeting:

o       The Policy Committee elected Councilmember Nestor Garcia as Chair to serve the remainder of FY 2007.

o       The Policy Committee acted to approve the FYs 2006-2008 Transportation Improvement Program (TIP) Amendment #9.

o       The Policy Committee acted to approve the FYs 2006-2008 TIP Amendment #10.

o       The Policy Committee approved a resolution recognizing the retirement of an OahuMPO planner, Laureen Brennan. 

o       The Policy Committee was informed of the call for TE projects.

o       No future meeting is scheduled at this time.

 

5.B.  Technical Advisory Committee (TAC)

·        The TAC met on January 26, 2007.  At that meeting:

o       The TAC voted to recommend the approval of FYs 2006-2008 TIP Amendment #10 to the Policy Committee

o       No future meeting is scheduled at this time.

 

 

6.  Announcements

·        Marian Yasuda announced that the public review draft of the FY 2008 Overall Work Program is being circulated.  For CAC members that are present today, a copy of the draft OWP is available.  Please indicate on the sign-in sheet that you received your copy today.  Copies will be mailed to CAC members who do not receive one today. The deadline for public comment is Monday, April 2, 2007.  Comments can be mailed, faxed, or emailed to the OahuMPO office.

 

The meeting was adjourned at 4:35 p.m.