URGING THE DEPARTMENT OF LAND AND NATURAL RESOURCES AND DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION TO DETERMINE AND CLEARLY DEFINE JURISDICTIONAL RESPONSIBILITY FOR HONOPOU BRIDGE AND TAKE COORDINATED ACTION TO ADDRESS RELATED SAFETY, WILDFIRE RISK, AND EMERGENCY ACCESS CONCERNS.

HCR63

HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

H.C.R. NO.

63

THIRTY-THIRD LEGISLATURE, 2026

STATE OF HAWAII

HOUSE CONCURRENT

RESOLUTION

urging the department of land and natural resources and
department of transportation to determine and clearly define jurisdictional
responsibility for honopou bridge and take coordinated action to address related
safety, wildfire risk, and emergency access concerns
.

����
WHEREAS, Honopou
Bridge, located along Honopou Road in east Maui, provides critical access for
residents, agricultural operators, cultural practitioners, and emergency
responders serving properties makai of the bridge; and

����
WHEREAS, Honopou
Road traverses parcels of mixed ownership, and a 2007 report issued pursuant to
Act 107, Session Laws of Hawaii 2006 (Act 107), identified Honopou Bridge as
being situated within a parcel owned by the State and under the jurisdiction of
the Department of Land and Natural Resources; and

����
WHEREAS, the
bridge was originally designed in 1990 for the Department of Land and Natural
Resources with a load capacity of approximately five tons; and

����
WHEREAS, following
community safety concerns and legislative review, the Department of Land and
Natural Resources obtained updated structural engineering advice and concluded
that, without improvements or maintenance, the vehicle load rating could be
increased to thirteen tons if vehicle speeds were kept below five miles per
hour; and

����
WHEREAS, Act
107 further required the Department of Transportation to review safety issues
and determine the cost of strengthening the bridge to allow the safe passage of
the Maui County Fire Department; and

����
WHEREAS, the
Department of Transportation reported that the bridge was originally designed
as an emergency replacement for a failed wooden bridge in 1994 for
significantly lighter loads, approximately five tons, which is below the weight
of modern fire apparatus and other emergency response vehicles, and recommended
increasing the load capacity to approximately twenty tons; and

����
WHEREAS, east
Maui communities are geographically isolated and face heightened vulnerability
to wildfire, flooding, severe weather, and medical emergencies; and

����
WHEREAS, recent
catastrophic wildfires in Maui have underscored the urgent need to ensure
reliable ingress and egress routes for evacuation and emergency response; and

����
WHEREAS, limitations
on bridge load capacity may restrict or delay fire engines, water tenders,
ambulances, law enforcement vehicles, and utility repair trucks, thereby
increasing risk to life, property, and critical infrastructure; and

����
WHEREAS, pursuant
to chapter 127A, Hawaii Revised Statutes, the State has a duty to ensure
adequate emergency management and disaster preparedness to protect public
health and safety; and

����
WHEREAS, article
XI, section 1, of the Hawaii State Constitution establishes the public trust
doctrine and affirms the State's obligation to protect and preserve natural
resources and related public interests; and

����
WHEREAS, prolonged
jurisdictional ambiguity has contributed to delays in implementing structural
upgrades necessary to ensure adequate emergency response capacity for Honopou
Bridge; now, therefore,

����
BE IT
RESOLVED by the House of Representatives of the Thirty-third Legislature of the
State of Hawaii, Regular Session of 2026, the Senate concurring, that the
Department of Land and Natural Resources and Department of Transportation are
urged to determine and clearly define jurisdictional responsibility for Honopou
Bridge and take coordinated action to address related safety, wildfire risk,
and emergency access concerns; and

����
BE IT FURTHER
RESOLVED that the Department of Land and Natural Resources and Department of
Transportation are urged to:

����
(1)
�
Conduct meaningful community outreach,
including public meetings, stakeholder consultations, and community surveys of
affected residents and landowners in east Maui, to gather input related to the
Honopou Bridge on safety concerns, emergency access needs, wildfire evacuation
considerations, and preferred infrastructure solutions;

����
(2)
�
Conduct or update a comprehensive assessment
of the Honopou Bridge's structural condition, load capacity, and wildfire
evacuation access needs, including community input regarding the need for and
desirability of improved access;

����
(3)
�
Identify any current restrictions affecting
emergency vehicle access;

����
(4)
�
Develop and implement a coordinated repair,
rehabilitation, or replacement plan sufficient to safely accommodate modern
emergency response vehicles;

����
(5)
�
Identify estimated costs and potential funding
sources, including capital improvement project funding and federal disaster
mitigation or resilience programs; and

����
(6)
�
Submit a report of their findings and
implementation timeline to the Legislature no later than twenty days prior to
the convening of the Regular Session of 2027; and

����
BE IT FURTHER
RESOLVED that certified copies of this Concurrent Resolution be transmitted to the
Chairperson of the Board of Land and Natural Resources and Director of
Transportation.

OFFERED BY:

_____________________________

Report Title:
�

Department
of Land and Natural Resources; Department of Transportation; Honopou Bridge;
Jurisdiction; Safety; Wildfire Risk; Emergency Access