Lahaina Bypass Now - Lahaina Maui Hawaii

THE PROJECT

West Maui is one of the most beautiful places on earth. Lahaina is a community many residents call home and a town that draws much of its value as a vacation destination from its history and its unique character. The Honoapi'ilani Highway serves as its current gateway, with future additional access points planned with construction of the Lahaina Bypass. We want to ensure that Lahaina Town retains its character as much-needed roadway construction projects move forward.

The community group Lahaina Bypass Now (LBN) planned a Transportation Design Workshop January 9th-12th to examine solutions for circulation issues and highway capacity needs. We wanted to provide an opportunity for the citizens of West Maui to work with the State of Hawaii DOT, Maui County and others involved in planning and design to create streets that are in character with West Maui, add value to the place, and offer relief from our current traffic problems. While highway capacity and traffic congestion are serious issues on West Maui, it is important to keep in mind Lahaina distinguishes itself by the natural beauty of the surroundings and the unique character of the area. As we recognize that the Lahaina Bypass and other road and street projects will be built in and around Lahaina, it is apparent that not all of the traffic through the region has to flow on any one roadway. There will be an opportunity to disperse traffic over several parallel roadways - including the Mill Street Extension, the new Bypass route and the Honoapi'ilani Highway. As we looked at these roadway improvement projects in the LBN Design Workshop, we thought about creating great streets that not only move traffic but also offer shade from tree-lined canopies, provide continuous sidewalks and safe pedestrian crossings, work for enhanced public transit service and make it easier to make daily trips for those who live and work within Lahaina.

Nationally, many states and localities have been pursuing the development of "context sensitive design" approaches to roadway planning and design. The underlying idea is that public works agencies and state DOTs should not be building roads and streets in a way that subtracts from the value of abutting and nearby lands or reduces safety or quality of life for residents. One of the lessons learned in other states has been that good, modern design leads to increased public acceptance and reduced environmental impact, which in turn removes obstacles to project completion, reduces citizen opposition to highway projects and creates value for adjacent communities.