HI SB1535

Allows the Director of Transportation to exempt state and county ground transportation facility projects from Chapter 6E (historic preservation review) if the project is in a previously disturbed area and does not require excavation deeper than 24 inches below grade, except in historic districts and areas with high probability of archaeological or burial sites.

Permits exemption from Chapter 343 (environmental impact statement law) for projects with the primary purpose of building pedestrian, bicyclist, and mobility device protective infrastructure that adds no more than 12 feet in width to existing travel surfaces or creates new travel surfaces of no more than 12 feet in width.

Requires written agreement between the Department of Transportation and the governmental entity or landowner controlling the land if the project is not on land directly under the department's control.

Addresses Hawaii's traffic safety concerns, citing reports naming Hawaii roads the most dangerous for seniors aged 65 and over and noting 117 traffic-related fatalities in 2022, an increase from 95 in 2014.

Takes effect July 1, 2050.