STAND. COM. REP. NO. 3497

Honolulu, Hawaii

RE: S.R. No. 51

S.D. 1

Honorable Ronald D. Kouchi

President of the Senate

Thirty-Second State Legislature

Regular Session of 2024

State of Hawaii

Sir:

Your Committee on Transportation and Culture and the Arts, to which was referred S.R. No. 51 entitled:

"SENATE RESOLUTION REQUESTING THE DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION TO PRIORITIZE REMEDIATION OF THE FLOODING ISSUES PRESENT ON ROUTE 11 AROUND MILE POST SIXTY AS A SAFETY PROJECT,"

begs leave to report as follows:

The purpose and intent of this measure is to request the Department of Transportation to prioritize remediation of the flooding issues present on Route 11 around Mile Post 60 on Hawaii Island as a safety project.

Your Committee received no testimony on this measure.

Your Committee finds that Route 11 is a portion of Mamalahoa Highway that acts as the main artery into the southern tip of Hawaii Island, and is also the only route that connects the two main towns of the Kau district. Your Committee further finds that the closure of this highway due to flooding poses a major safety issue for the surrounding residents, being their lifeline to medical services and an emergency evacuation route. Your Committee concludes that it is critical for the Department of Transportation to study flood mitigation methods, including but not limited to flood monitoring systems, raising the highway, and installing culverts to prioritize the flooding issues present on Route 11.

Your Committee has amended this measure by making a technical, nonsubstantive amendment for the purposes of clarity and consistency.

As affirmed by the record of votes of the members of your Committee on Transportation and Culture and the Arts that is attached to this report, your Committee concurs with the intent and purpose of S.R. No. 51, as amended herein, and recommends its adoption in the form attached hereto as S.R. No. 51, S.D. 1.

Respectfully submitted on behalf of the members of the Committee on Transportation and Culture and the Arts,

________________________________

CHRIS LEE, Chair