For many people, life is spread out all over Hawai‘i Island. Whether it’s commuting to work or shopping in Waikoloa or Kona, or going to school or visiting family in Hilo or Puna, transportation is central to life on a 4,028 square mile island. Through collaboration with our communities, the support of Hawai‘i’s Congressional Delegation, and the determination of the men and women of County government working on your behalf, it has never been easier to get around the island.

The Ane Keohokālole Highway under construction near the West Hawai‘i Civic Center.

Building the Ane Keohokālole Highway

The Ane Keohokālole Highway is the first major road to be built by Hawai‘i County in Kona since statehood. This $30 million road will relieve some of the worst traffic congestion on the island by offering a third north-south corridor through Kona from Palani Road to Hina Lani Street.

• Road runs parallel and about a mile mauka of the Queen Ka‘ahumanu Highway.
• The largest expenditure of American Recovery and Reinvestment Act money in Hawai‘i.
• Opens up access to facilitate development of the state’s Kamakana Village affordable housing project, development by the Queen Lili‘uokalani Trust to support children’s programs, and the Hawaiian Home Land Trust’s expansion of La‘i‘ōpua Village.
• Includes a $3 million cultural interpretive center and preservation area at the Palani Road end, as well as a $500,000 dryland forest preserve at the Hina Lani Street end.
• Mass Transit will establish a transit bus loop using Ane Keohokālole Highway and the Queen Ka‘ahumanu Highway.
• Through hard work and cooperation, the Kenoi administration was able to build a mile more road than originally planned in the $30 million Phase 1 – with no additional money.

Dignitaries participate in the ‘ō‘ō Ceremony during the Groundbreaking of Ane Keohokālole Highway in Kona on March 30, 2010.

“We are not just building a road. With affordable homes, shelters for the homeless, places to work and play, a way to get to college, commuter buses and bike paths we are facilitating the creation of a safe and vibrant community.”

– Mayor Billy Kenoi

Expanding the Hele-On Bus System

Riding the Hele-On Bus provides relief from rising fuel costs, keeps our kids engaged by allowing them to access after-school activities, and helps our seniors get to the medical care, senior activities and nutrition programs they need. Increasing transit ridership eases traffic congestion dramatically for everyone and provides a safe transportation alternative for the hard-working people who commute long distances across the island.

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  A new county bus is dedicated. The County has received $9 million in federal grants to purchase new buses and expand service, which has led to record numbers of bus riders.

  $1 fares for adults, no fare for students, seniors, and people with disabilities on every route island wide

• Ridership at an all-time high, nearly 1.2 million rides annually
• 12 new busses added, including an 89-passenger double-decker bus
• Nearly 40 bus shelters constructed or being constructed, and 40 more bus stop signs erected island wide
• Established new Park & Ride facilities at Maku‘u Market in Puna, Cooper Center in Volcano and Hawaiian Ocean View Estates in Ka‘ū.
• Routes added in rural communities, routes in population centers expanded, Saturday bus service expanded

Senators Akaka and Mrs and Senator Dan K. Inouye stand with Mayor Kenoi to welcome the new additions to the Hele-On fleet.

“We are grateful for the assistance of U.S. Senator Daniel K. Inouye and Hawai‘i’s Congressional Delegation for their work in helping to obtain federal funds to finance this unprecedented expansion of our County Transit Network.”

- Mayor Billy Kenoi