Two Decades of Waiting: Our Urgent Call for a Second Access Road for Waikōloa Village
For the residents of Waikoloa Village, the need for a second emergency evacuation route is not a new issue—it’s a 20-year-old promise that has gone unfulfilled, putting our entire community at risk.
In March 2025, the Wildfire Safety Advocates of Waikoloa (WSAW) sent a detailed letter and report to Hawaii County Mayor Kimo Alameda, urging immediate action to fund and build a second arterial road. This is not just a convenience; it is a matter of life and death, a fact officially recognized by the County as far back as 2008.
A History of Recognized Risk, A Legacy of Inaction
Our report to the Mayor outlines a frustrating timeline:
2005: A major wildfire burns to the edge of our community, highlighting the dire need for a second way out.
2008: The South Kohala Community Development Plan is adopted, explicitly naming the construction of a second access road to Queen Kaʻahumanu Highway as the community’s "very high priority" first project.
2025: Despite four mayoral administrations, this "very high priority" project has never been funded in a County Capital Improvement Program (CIP) budget.
Why This Road is More Critical Than Ever
The risks identified in 2005 have only intensified:
Highest Risk in the State: The official Lahaina Fire Incident Analysis Report states that Waikoloa Village has "100% higher risk than any other place in the U.S."
Explosive Growth: Our population has grown nearly 50% since 2005, with thousands more homes planned. Our single road, Waikoloa Road, is utterly inadequate to handle evacuation for our current population, let alone future growth.
A Matter of Life and Death: As the 2008 plan stated, a second road "may well prove to be the difference between successful evacuation of the Village and injuries and even loss of life." The traffic jam during the 2021 evacuation order gave us a terrifying preview of what could happen if fire blocks our only exit.
Waikoloa Village has 100% higher wildfire risk than any other place in the United States. A second access road may well prove to be the difference between successful evacuation and injuries and even loss of life.
A Narrow Window for Action
Our letter to Mayor Alameda emphasized that we are at a critical juncture. We have a limited-time offer of help from State HDOT Director Ed Sniffen to secure federal funding, but he needs a finalized engineering report and cost estimate to do so. This opportunity expires when he leaves office at the end of 2026.
We urgently requested that the Mayor include the planning and design funds for this road in the current capital budget. Without this essential first step, construction cannot begin, and we will lose this crucial chance for state and federal support.
Our Community Deserves Action, Not More Promises
We believe the County’s failure to act on its own "very high priority" project for 17 years violates its duty to provide a "healthful environment" for its citizens, as guaranteed by the State Constitution. We cannot continue to approve new housing in the highest-risk area in the state without first providing the basic safety infrastructure needed to save lives.
We offered our full assistance to the Mayor to work with the state, our legislators, and other stakeholders. We need the County’s leadership to finally prioritize our safety over further delay.
Read our full letter to Mayor Alameda and the detailed historical report here:
Link to Letter to Mayor Alameda - March 7, 2025
Link to Report on History of Second Road Planning
Our safety cannot wait another 20 years.
- The Wildfire Safety Advocates of Waikoloa
