The County of Maui was awarded a $25 million federal grant that will help fund the first phase of a north segment of the Kīhei North-South Collector Road.

The funding is part of the Rebuilding American Infrastructure with Sustainability and Equity (RAISE) discretionary grant program that awarded more than $2.2 billion to 162 transportation infrastructure projects across the country. The County of Maui Department of Public Works applied in late February 2023 for the grant, before awards were announced Wednesday.

“This federal grant will help move forward a long-awaited improvement project that will serve as the Kīhei North-South Collector Road and help to address traffic congestion in South Maui,” said Mayor Richard Bissen. “We appreciate the support of U.S. Senator Brian Schatz in advancing this critical project.”

County of Maui Director of Public Works Jordan Molina recognized the department’s engineering staff, as well as the Hawaiʻi Department of Transportation and Hawaiʻi Community Foundation, for work that went into submission of the grant application.

“This project is intended to help relieve traffic congestion in South Maui, and we appreciate receiving the RAISE grant funding for an important need. The efforts of our departmentʻs team, the state Department of Transportation and Hawaiʻi Community Foundation contributed to our success in receiving the grant award,” Molina said. 

The Līloa Drive Extension project will extend the road from the area of East Waipuʻilani Road to the area of Kaʻonoʻulu Street in Kīhei. 

Plans call for a two-lane roadway and landscaped shared-use paths for pedestrians and bicycles. The project also proposes three roundabouts at the intersections of Līloa Drive and Waipuʻilani Road, Kūlanihākoʻi Street and Kaʻonoʻulu Street, and two bridges at Kūlanihākoʻi Gulch and Waipuʻilani Gulch. Retaining walls, fencing, railings, street lights and storm drain systems are other features.

Environmental review and permit approvals are expected to be required for the project, which is projected to begin with construction in 2025.

The first phase of the project goes from East Waipuʻilani Road to Kūlanihākoʻi Street, comprising 0.44-mile of the 0.93-mile extension. Phase II design and construction will begin after Phase I is completed and necessary funding is acquired. The entire Kīhei North-South Collector Road comprises five phases.

Design and permitting started in 2016 for the project, which was included in the South Maui Community Plan adopted in 1998.

More information on the project can be found at liloadriveextension.com.

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