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Waikoloa residents press council for $2.5 million to start second-access road engineering
Summary
Residents and local wildfire advocates told the committee that Waikoloa Village needs a second permanent access road, asking the county to fund $2.5 million for engineering and design in the capital budget to begin a years-long project to improve evacuation routes.
Several Waikoloa Village residents and wildfire-safety advocates spoke during the committee's public-testimony period, urging the county to fund preliminary engineering for a proposed second access route from Waikoloa Village.
Aslan Chalker, introduced himself as a longtime Waikoloa Village resident, told the committee the village needs a second road to relieve evacuation pressure during wildfires. '2uring the 2021 Mana fire, my husband and I were out of our house in less than 10 minutes and we still got stuck in traffic,' Chalker said. He described a 15-minute, half-mile jam at the village exit during that event and told the committee the community has been asking for a second road for more than a decade.
Matt (Matt/Matthew) Chalker, identifying himself as executive director and cofounder of Wildfire Safety Advocates of Waikoloa and a village resident, told the committee he and supporters are seeking $2,500,000 in the capital improvements budget for engineering plans and design work that would let the county and state pursue federal grants. '2e need to have a two-lane road that fire trucks can drive up from the station while residents drive down,' he said.
Bob Yunki, government affairs representative for Wildfire Safety Advocates Waikoloa, told the committee that county planning documents dating back to 2008 rate a second permanent road for Waikoloa Village as a very high priority. Yunki said he and others are working with HDOT and federal partners but that the county must 'start this process' to get an engineering report and cost estimate required to chase federal funding.
A longtime Waikoloa resident, Julia Allos, reminded the committee that prior community development plans ranked the second-access road a top local priority and told members the community is 'on edge' about wildfire risk and evacuation. 'It is not a matter of if, but when,' she said of a serious wildfire risk.
What they asked for: Speakers repeatedly asked the committee to include $2.5 million in the proposed capital budget for engineering and design so the county can produce cost estimates and begin the process of securing federal and private contributions.
Why it matters: Waikoloa Village residents say the village has a single primary egress route; during past evacuations that road has experienced long backups, and local advocates warn that growing development in higher fire-risk areas increases the need for a second permanent access route.
Sources: Public testimony delivered at the Hawaii County Committee on Finance meeting, April 8, 2025. Quotes are the speakers' words as recorded in the meeting transcript.
