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POSTED: Friday, January 23, 2009

Hawaii motorists on all but two islands would pay $170 more on average in state fuel taxes and vehicle fees each year to fund a $4 billion plan to unclog isle highways and make roads safer, according to a bipartisan measure heading to the Legislature.

               

     

 

On the Net         » The full list of projects is available at the state Transportation Department Web site: www.hawaii.gov/dot

Republican Gov. Linda Lingle joined two key Democratic lawmakers yesterday to unveil a six-year proposal to shave daily commutes islandwide — including up to 30 minutes for West Oahu motorists heading into town — and lower statewide traffic deaths to 100 from 140 annually.

 

  Drivers could save anywhere from $60.83 a year in gas and vehicle maintenance for a one-minute drop in daily commute time to $1,824.90 for a half-hour reduction, according to the plan. It spares motorists on Lanai and Molokai from the extra charges because no projects would be done on those islands.

State officials, saying they understand the recession has hit families hard, noted higher taxes and fees being floated to cover 183 highway projects would only kick in once the economy rebounds with 1 percent job growth over two consecutive quarters — a recovery they project to happen by mid-2011.

Lingle said the bill should be passed this year so work can begin as soon as the economy picks up.

 

”;We can't afford to do this now. Individuals can't afford it. We know that; it's obvious to us,”; Lingle told reporters. “;But we know the economy will turn around. Hawaii will grow again and we will prosper.”;

 

“;We can't afford to do this now. Individuals can't afford it. We know that; it's obvious to us,”; Lingle told reporters. “;But we know the economy will turn around. Hawaii will grow again and we will prosper.”;

State Transportation Director Brennon Morioka warned it would take 30 years to fund $7 billion in needed highway upgrades if the state continues to do “;business as usual.”;

In 2006, when 161 people died on Hawaii roads, the state had the nation's highest rate of alcohol-related traffic deaths and was ranked near the top for motorcyclists, pedestrians and bicyclists killed.

“;The theme of this (proposal) is saving lives, saving time, saving money,”; said Morioka, calling Hawaii's highway system “;broken.”;

Morioka said taxpayers would be able to check the bidding process for each project, costs and status reports on the Transportation Department Web site.

To fund the plan, the state fuel tax would jump 10 cents, to 27 cents per gallon; the vehicle weight tax would rise two cents per pound, to 2 3/4 cents a pound; while the registration fee would go up $20, to $45. A rental vehicle surcharge tax would be lifted to $5 from $3 per day.

The added fees could last some 25 years, Morioka estimated. The bill also paves the way for a system in which the state could tax motorists based on miles driven since gas tax revenue is predicted to drop as vehicles become more fuel-efficient.

Besides the $2 billion the state expects to collect from motorists over six years, the highway projects would be paid for through $1.5 billion it currently gets from the Legislature and $500 million that would be sought from the federal government.

The bill — which calls for intersections, guardrails and shoulder improvements, rockfall prevention, bridge rehabilitation, road widenings and addition of contra-flow lanes, bicycle and pedestrian projects — also would help create jobs, said House Transportation Chairman Joe Souki (D, Waihee-Wailuku). Other services include roadside alerts to motorists about traffic conditions, safe-driving education programs and a Freeway Service Patrol that would respond to accidents.

“;We expect this to be quite a stimulus for the recovery of the state,”; Souki said.

 

The roadwork modernization proposal

The massive repairs to Hawaii highways include 183 projects across the state. Here is the breakdown:

STATEWIDE

Projects include improvments for bicycle and pedestrian programs.

» Number of projects: 22

» Total cost: $968.1 million

                                                                                                                                                   

Projects	Number	Cost
Safety	16	$220.4M
Other	6	$247.7M
Federal stimulus	1	$500M

KAUAI

» Number of projects: 22

» Total cost: $263.4 million

                                                                                                                                                   

Projects	Number	Cost
Safety	10	$75.7M
Congestion	7	$115M
System preservation	5	$72.7M

BIG ISLAND

» Number of projects: 27

» Total cost: $524.7 million

                                                                                                                                                                                       

Projects	Number	Cost
Safety	11	$87.3M
Congestion	10	$288.3M
System preservation	5	$146.2M
Other	1	$2.9M

MAUI

» Number of projects: 36

» Total cost: $578.9 million

                                                                                                                                                                                       

Projects	Number	Cost
Safety	18	$92M
Congestion	12	$367.6M
System preservation	5	$118.8M
Other	1	$0.5M

OAHU

» Number of projects: 76

» Total cost: $1.9 billion

                                                                                                                                                                                       

Projects	Number	Cost
Safety	28	$256M
Congestion	35	$1.002B
System preservation	12	$641.2M
Other	1	$5.5M

About the projects

» Safety: Includes bridge repairs, rockfall and slope stabilization, shoreline protection, guardrail and shoulder improvements

» Congestion: Includes adding lanes, contra-flow, on/off-ramp improvements, interchange improvements

» System preservation: Includes maintenance, drainage, and lighting improvements, landscaping

Paying for upgrades

The state in proposing raising gas taxes and vehicle fees to fund a $4 billion highway moderization plan. The plan would cost each motorist $170 on average each year:

                                                                                                                                                                                                                   

	Current	Increase	cost per person	Projected income
State fuel tax	17c per gallon	10c per gallon	$80	$51 million
Vehicle weight tax*	3/4 of 1c per pound	2c per pound	$70	$68 million
Registration fee	$25 per year	$20 per year	$20	$23.3 million

* For vehicles up to 4,000 pounds

               

     

 

CORRECTION         A graphic attached to this story misstated the current state vehicle tax and has been removed. The tax is three-fourths of 1 cent, not 75 cents per pound, for vehicles up to 4,000 pounds. The same graphic also misstated the total cost of the state's highway improvement proposal. It is $4 billion, not $46 billion. A story on Page 7 yesterday also misstated what the new vehicle tax would be under the proposal. It would jump to 2 3/4 cents per pound instead of 77 cents per pound.