SBCT Final EIS - Govsupport.us

Chapter 3 ⎯ Affected EnvironmentThere are four freeways on Oahu that provide approximately 55 miles of state roadway. H–1 (LunaliloFreeway) traverses the southern portion of Oahu and connects the Ewa areas with Hawaii Kai.The freeway also provides service to Honolulu International Airport, Pearl Harbor, Hickam Air ForceBase (HAFB), and downtown Honolulu. H–2 connects the Ewa area with central Oahu, where theSBMR is located. H–2 ties into H–1 east of Honolulu. H–3 is the newest freeway on Oahu and connectsthe Pearl Harbor area with Kaneohe Bay Marine Corps Airfield, which is on the northeast sideof Oahu. Finally, State Road 78, referred to as the Moanalua Road, provides a bypass for H–1 trafficbetween the Aiea/Pearl City area and downtown Honolulu.The remaining state highways provide approximately 200 lane-miles of roadway. The City andCounty of Honolulu maintains approximately 1,200 lane-miles of roads (Carter-Burgess 2001). Thereare few roadways connecting the southern and northern portions of the island, which are separated bythe Koolau Mountains. The connecting roadways are the Pali Highway, the Likelike Highway, andH–3. Kalanianaole Highway goes around the east coastline between Hawaii Kai and Kailua. H–2 andKamehameha Highway go around the western end of the Koolau Range, connecting Honolulu withMililani, Wahiawa, Schofield Barracks, and Haleiwa.The main access routes for the training areas around SBMR are via the Ewa/Honolulu area: KamehamehaHighway and Kunia Road from the Ewa District, and Kamananui Road and Wilikina Drivefrom the North Shore district. Trimble Road, Kolekole Avenue, and Lyman Road are the primary circulationroutes through SBMR. Access to and egress from KTA is via Drum Road or KamehamehaHighway.3.1.6.2 Island of HawaiiThe major urban areas on the island of Hawaii are Hilo and Kailua-Kona, which are on the east andwest sides of the island, respectively. Air service for these centers is provided by Hilo InternationalAirport and Kona International Airport. Generally, major roadways in Hilo are congested, and majorhighway improvements are underway to address these problems. There are several congested areas inKailua-Kona, but the periods of congestion are short.The most direct roadway link between these population centers is Saddle Road, but most motoristsuse Queen Kaahumanu Highway (Highway 19) because this road has better design features. SaddleRoad is not up to current design standards, and sight distances are limited. The HDOT, with the FederalHighway Administration (FHWA) as the lead agency, have construction projects in progress toimprove Saddle Road. The first of these projects is a 7-mile segment from Mauna Kea State Park towardsHilo, which was dedicated in May 2007.Major roadways on the island are under the jurisdiction of the HDOT. Roadways under the jurisdictionof HDOT are Queen Kaahumanu Highway, Mamalahoa Highway, Hawaii Belt Road, VolcanoHighway, and Kawaihae Road. Except for limited sections, these roadways are two-lane highways.Major intersections are signalized. The remaining local roads and streets are under the jurisdiction ofthe County of Hawaii Department of Public Works.Current traffic conditions in Hawaii vary depending on location, but are typically over capacity duringpeak hours, resulting in significant traffic delays. These traffic delays occur in urban areas withmulti-lane roads as well as less developed areas with only two-lane roads.February 2008 3–47 2/25th SBCT Final EIS