Bill > SCR55

This Concurrent Resolution requests the Department of Transportation to establish a task force to study the feasibility of creating alternative emergency access routes for the communities between Hanalei and Haena on Kauai, Hawaii. This action is prompted by recent severe storm events, including significant flooding and landslides in 2018 and 2021, which have repeatedly isolated these communities, cutting off residents and visitors from essential services, hindering emergency response, and disrupting daily life and local businesses. The study will explore potential routes, including a former road now used for utility lines and a path over land managed by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, and will involve input from various local and federal agencies, community groups, and utility providers. The Department of Transportation is required to report its findings and recommendations to the State Legislature by early 2023.