HI SB1535

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

Allows exemption from Chapter 343 (environmental impact statement law) for projects that primarily build protective infrastructure for pedestrians, bicyclists, and people on mobility devices by adding no more than 12 feet in width to existing travel surfaces or providing new hardened travel surfaces of no more than 12 feet in width.

Requires written agreement with the governmental entity or landowner controlling the land if the project is constructed on land not directly controlled by the department of transportation.

Addresses Hawaii's traffic safety crisis, citing reports naming Hawaii roads as the most dangerous in the nation for pedestrians aged 65 and over, with 117 traffic-related fatalities in 2022 compared to 95 in 2014.

Takes effect June 30, 3000.