HI SR51

Route 11 (Mamalahoa Highway) near Mile Post 60 on Hawaii Island experiences frequent flooding that causes highway closures, creating a safety hazard for residents who depend on this road as their primary access to medical services and emergency evacuation routes.

The highway was constructed before 1962 and lacks adequate drainage elements in the low-lying flooded section; the road has closed at least six times since 2012 due to flooding.

The Department of Transportation is requested to prioritize remediation of the flooding as a safety project and consider previously studied solutions including flood monitoring systems, raising the highway up to ten feet, and installing culverts.

The Department of Transportation must submit a detailed remediation plan including an estimated budget to the Legislature no later than twenty days before the Regular Session of 2025 convenes.

Certified copies of this resolution shall be transmitted to the Director of Transportation and the Mayor of Hawaii County.