The County of Hawai'i has reached another significant milestone as FEMA has now issued the highly anticipated "Notice to Proceed" for the Pohoiki Road and Highway 137 Road Repair and Water Line Projects. This official notification gives the County the green light to move forward and begin repairing roads and water infrastructure that were inundated or damaged by the 2018 Kīlauea eruption.

The next step involves the County finalizing the procurement process and making essential final preparations to ensure a smooth transition to the groundbreaking phase, which is expected to start in the first quarter of 2024. The County is also actively working on the required documentation necessary for putting this project out to bid. 

The County of Hawai'i extends its gratitude to FEMA for their support and partnership throughout this process. As preparations continue, the County remains dedicated to keeping the community informed and engaged in the upcoming phases of this critical infrastructure initiative.

These latest developments mean the County remains on-track with the timeline published with the release of the Final Environmental Assessment last month, which can be seen by scrolling down to the update from November 2023. 

As the project progresses, we will continue to provide updates here on the website, as well as our social media channels on Facebook, Instagram, Tiktok, and Youtube.

FEMA has completed and published the Final Environmental Assessment (EA) for the Pohoiki Road and Highway 137 Road Repair and Water Line Installation.

The Final EA discloses the federal decision-making process, agency coordination, and public participation in determining whether to revise the EA, withdraw the EA, prepare this Finding of No Significant Impact, or initiate an Environmental Impact Statement (EIS). Public comments received on the Draft EA are published and responded to in the Final EA.

FEMA has determined a Finding of No Significant Impact (FONSI) in the Final EA, meaning once we receive the Notice to Proceed from FEMA, the project can begin. This brings us one step closer to construction beginning on this project.

The Final EA contains only one major change from the previous draft. During the public comment period, FEMA received a substantial number of comments requesting a reordering of the project phases. Specifically, there were numerous requests to postpone the Lighthouse Road portion of the project, placing it in the final phase. This proposed adjustment aims to allow the community to collaboratively develop a formal protection plan for the culturally significant and sensitive areas at Kumukahi.

In response to the valuable input we received during the EA comment period and multiple meetings with local residents, we have made the decision to resequence the project phases, with the Lighthouse Road portion now positioned as the final phase. This strategic adjustment provides the community with the necessary time and space to collaboratively develop a comprehensive protection plan for this sacred area as access is restored after the completion of Lighthouse Road.

We understand the eagerness within the community to witness the tangible results of the extensive collaborative efforts by the County and FEMA over the past two years. As we look ahead, the next phases of the project will involve the finalization of engineering designs, a crucial step that could only proceed once the Final EA was released. Following this, we will move forward with the procurement process, setting the stage for the commencement of construction, which is expected to kick off in early 2024.

Now that the EA is finalized and a FONSI has been issued, the County of Hawai'i has updated the timeline for the project:

With the finalized EA, FEMA also provided a Notice of Availability, and the report on the Finding of No Significant Impact.

As the project progresses, we will continue to provide updates here on the website, as well as our social media channels on Facebook, Instagram, Tiktok, and Youtube.

The County of Hawai’i is excited to announce a significant milestone in the Pohoiki Road and Highway 137 Road Repair and Water Line Installation. The draft Environmental Assessment (EA) has been successfully completed and is now open for public review. This exciting development marks the next phase in critical infrastructure in lower Puna following the 2018 Kīlauea eruption, carried out in collaboration with the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) with $82 million for roads and $6 million for waterlines.

Important Links

Press Release
Full Draft Environmental Assessment
Public Notice

What's Covered in the EA?

The EA covers the purpose of the project and encompasses essential road and waterline construction areas, including Pohoiki Road from Highway 132 to Highway 137, Highway 137 from Pohoiki Road to Highway 132 and Kumukahi-Lighthouse Road, Highway 137 near MacKenzie State Recreation Area, and Kumukahi-Lighthouse Road. It describes alternatives considered and covers how the project would impact the surrounding areas and plans for mitigation.

Public Meeting and Comment Period

The public comment review period for the draft EA is from August 3, 2023, to September 5, 2023. We value your input and encourage you to share your thoughts during this critical phase. As part of our commitment to transparency, we also held a virtual public review meeting on Tuesday, August 8, 2023, from 5-6:30 p.m. Click here to review the FEMA PowerPoint Presentation.

All comments must be received in writing and will be accepted through September 5, 2023. Comments should be mailed to: Regional Environmental Officer, FEMA Region 9, 1111 Broadway, Suite 1200, Oakland, CA 94607-4052. Comments may also be submitted via e-mail (preferred) to fema-rix-ehp-documents@fema.dhs.gov; please include “Puna Road Repair and Water Line Installation” in your subject line.

Important Dates to Remember:

August 3, 2023: EA Released - 30-day Comment Period Begins

August 8, 2023: Virtual Public Review Meeting (Zoom)

September 5, 2023: Comment Period Ends

The Path to Progress: What's Next?

Completion of the EA is a crucial prerequisite before construction can commence, ensuring that we adhere to the National Environmental Policy Act's rules and regulations. With the draft EA now published for public comment, FEMA anticipates to finalize the EA in September 2023 with a Notice to Proceed to follow for the County to take on its role on starting the projects. This allows formal design plans for the roads and waterlines to be submitted for review, bringing us one step closer to breaking ground. At this time, construction is slated to begin in early 2024.

Stay Connected

As the project progresses, we will continue to provide updates here on the website, as well as our social media channels on Facebook, Instagram, Tiktok, and Youtube.

Updated Timeline

Unfortunately, we have recently received word that the finalization of the draft Environmental Assessment (EA) from FEMA has been delayed again. The previous projection we received from FEMA was that they would have the finalized draft EA in June, then this shifted to early July. Unfortunately, we are now being told their latest projection is early August.

Originally, we were told that the EA would be completed in January, but in the past six months, FEMA has encountered many challenges that have kept them from being able to complete their portion of the draft EA. We understand that the public is frustrated by the repeated changes in the projected completion date, but we’re hopeful FEMA will complete the draft EA for release in early August. This is not a guaranteed date for release, but the latest projection by FEMA.

Once FEMA hands over the draft EA to us, we'll be ready to complete our part of the process. That includes publishing the document, holding an informational meeting on the EA, and allowing for the 30-day comment period. After that, we're hoping FEMA will give us the green light to move ahead with final engineering design and procurement, which we’ve already made tons of headway on. Once that is complete, we can finally mobilize equipment and resources to begin construction. We've been working hard to speed up these steps, but we have to wait until FEMA gets the draft EA finalized and approved before these steps can be completed.

With this latest update comes a shift in the construction timeline as well. The County was hopeful to break ground early next year, but as FEMA continues to shift our timeline, so must we. Once we are given the finalized draft EA from FEMA, we will be releasing an updated timeline to help inform the public of our next steps.

Rest assured that we are focused on this updated timeline BUT we also acknowledge the possibility of further delays and unforeseen challenges that may impact the timeline.

We have been given another projected date of mid-June for the release of the Draft EA by FEMA. In the meantime, the County continues to work on other portions of the project to make sure when FEMA is finished with the EA, we are ready to proceed with the next phase of the project.

We understand residents are frustrated by continued delays with this project, and we appreciate your patience as we wait for FEMA to complete the Draft EA. Though these delays have shifted our progress timelines, we are still hopeful of breaking ground early next year.

The County also wanted to take a moment to clarify misinformation that has circulated about portions of highway 137 not being restored. We are restoring Highway 137 from Four Corners to Pohoiki and portions near Mackenzie State Recreation Area.

Video update: Planning Director Zendo Kern breaks down the latest on the Kīlauea Recovery Road and Waterline Projects Environmental Assessment

Kīlauea Recovery Road and Waterline Projects Environmental Assessment 

Department of Public Works, Department of Water Supply, Kīlauea Eruption Recovery and FEMA are continuing to work on completing the Environmental Assessment process for the Pohoiki Roads project.

As of late March 2023, the legal team of FEMA has completed their review and final revisions are being made to the EA document. The objective of this FEMA review was to ensure that the draft EA is in compliance with the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA).

FEMA is currently taking steps to conclude the process and finalize the draft Environmental Assessment for public review and comment. While this review is a normal part of the process, delays have arisen that were outside of our control.

Over the next 6 weeks, the County will be working closely with FEMA to finalize the EA. Once draft EA is completed, it will be released by FEMA which will then lead to a 30-day comment period likely occurring in May. During this comment period, DPW will also hold a community meeting to discuss the findings of the EA and show the process for the public to submit comments. As soon as we determine the exact dates for the comment period and community meeting, we will release that information to the public for participation.

We understand that this delay may cause frustration for residents and changes the timeline we released last year. However, we want to assure the community that we are actively working to address the issues and remain committed to completing this project as soon as possible.

We appreciate the understanding and patience of our community, and we will keep you updated on the release of the EA and any changes to the project timeline as soon as possible.

Public Roads and Water Line - Public Notice September 2022

Public Roads - Press Release March 2022

Updates were provided by the County departments of Water Supply, Public Works, Parks & Recreation, and Mass Transit, in addition to the Department of Land and Natural Resources.