HONOLULU (KHON2) — It took decades of debate and planning to finally get a high school built in South Maui. But now that Kulanihakoi High School is open, there’s a new hurdle.
A long-promised pedestrian bridge still hasn’t been built, and until it is, students can’t walk to school.
Kulanihakoi High School is now in its third year, with nearly 600 students enrolled. But for many families, getting to school isn’t a simple walk out the door.
Until a pedestrian bridge is built, students are prohibited from walking to school. They must be driven, drive themselves or take the bus. The schools this year had to scramble to find enough buses this fall.
“Even though there is a crosswalk across the highway, that crosswalk is blocked. They have a big barrier on each side of the road. So it’s legally impossible for anyone to walk or bike across there,” said Mike Moran, a member of the Kihei Community Association.
The bridge was a condition set by the state Land Use Commission – a requirement meant to guarantee safe passage over Piilani Highway. But the bridge remains unbuilt, and the state Department of Transportation now says it may not be necessary.
“Based on national considerations that say if a person has to walk one and a half times more than they would just going across the street. If they go above, then they’ll just run across the street, regardless if there’s facilities there or not. Given that we have safe at-grade crossing now, we don’t believe there’s a need for the pedestrian overpass,” said Ed Sniffen, Director of the Hawaii Department of Transportation.
The DOT approved installing a roundabout, which officials say has slowed traffic below 20 miles an hour in the area. But some community members disagree that it’s the answer to safer crossing.
“So the roundabout does what it’s supposed to do by controlling traffic in a safe manner, as far as motor vehicles, but there’s no access for pedestrians or anything other than a motor vehicle to use it,” said Moran.
State Senator Angus McKelvey, whose district includes South Maui, had requested $15 million in the budget towards the bridge, but it was cut from the final budget. McKelvey said he will request funding again this coming legislative session.
“Given that the safety that we see that’s provided by the roundabout, and given that there’s no funding for pedestrian overpass, we believe that the land use commission should not make that a requirement for the school,” said Sniffen.
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The Land Use Commission says it has not yet received a request to delete the condition to build a pedestrian bridge, which leaves the project in limbo, and students will have to keep arriving at school by car or bus, for now.