HDOT Climate Resilience Action Plan | May 2021

Action Plan can be used as an instrument to communicate HDOT’s efforts on climate adaptation and system resilience. D.3 LEGISLATORS State legislators are important enablers of state DOT actions in that they often establish the legal and institutional relationships between and among state agencies and provide the funding that will be used to plan, build, operate, and maintain state highways. It is important therefore that they are aware of HDOT’s initiatives and efforts relating to a more resilient highway network. HDOT has worked closely with the State Legislature for many years and thus the process for such an outreach is well established. D.4 REGULATORY AGENCIES HDOT is legally required to obtain reviews and approvals for roadway projects from several regulatory agencies. Some agencies currently participate in the Transportation Environmental Resource Council (TERC), which allows information sharing and collaboration among relevant agencies to streamline project development. Regulatory agency reviews for minor HDOT actions have been streamlined by existing programmatic agreements such as the National Environmental Policy Act Categorical Exclusions with the FHWA, Endangered Species Act Section 7 consultations with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and the National Marine Fisheries Service, and Hawai‘i Revised Statutes Chapter 6E review for historic properties with the State Historic Preservation Division. Continuing to foster cooperation among all agencies, including developing programmatic agreements to streamline both high-priority projects and minor actions needed for climate change adaptation, will allow critical projects to be reviewed more quickly and implemented sooner. D.5 STATE AND COUNTY AGENCIES Non-regulatory state agencies and county governments, especially those responsible for land use policy, also are leading the way in identifying and implementing climate adaptation and system resilience measures. County-specific general plans and community plans, shoreline setbacks, as well as state land use and coastal zone management policies drive existing and future land uses that affect where and how roadways are designed and maintained. They also govern what transportation projects can be permitted. (see Appendix B). Decisions on land use can impact the performance of transportation assets during the occurrence of climate-related events and, therefore, close coordination on land use decisions is needed. Furthermore, HDOT’s state-owned roads are also interconnected with county roads, and in some cases with federal and private roads. Therefore, collaboration to design facilities under the same set of design criteria is critical to create a cohesive and resilient transportation system in the State. D.6 LARGE LANDOWNERS Large landowners, including the public and private sectors, are also potential partners with HDOT and with all agencies that seek to develop alternatives to existing roadways. Owners or stewards of properties near or immediately adjacent to existing roadways or properties mauka of coastlines may be considered for needed highway realignments to increase system resilience. Laniākea Beach on the North Shore of O‘ahu and Honoapi‘ilani Highway in West Maui are prime examples of such collaborative efforts.

( D-2 ) HAWAI ‘ I HIGHWAYS | CLIMATE ADAPTATION ACTION PLAN