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Loading Glossary… Lee Chamberlain Apr 12 2026 at 12:18PM on page 24
Suggestion
Public Comment on FY 2027–2028 UPWP Revision #3
Directed to the Maui MPO Policy Board
Chair and Members of the Policy Board,
This comment is directed to the leadership role of the Maui MPO Policy Board and the need for Maui MPO to move beyond perpetual planning and toward implementation accountability.
The FY 2027–2028 UPWP continues a pattern of producing studies, updates, and planning documents without providing an adequate framework for measuring whether priority projects are actually advancing to construction.
The issue is no longer whether Maui has planned enough.
The issue is whether Maui is delivering.
The UPWP describes Maui MPO as the island’s primary transportation planning management tool and the mechanism that helps maintain eligibility for federal funding. That role should include more than preparing plans. It should include tracking whether those plans result in implementation.
West Maui Greenway Shows Why This Matters
The West Maui Greenway is a strong example of why Maui MPO must begin addressing implementation performance directly.
In the 2003 Hawaiʻi Bike Plan, the West Maui Greenway was identified as a priority project at approximately 14.9 miles from Civic Center to Olowalu, with an estimated cost of $5,718,000.
Today, the current West Maui Greenway concept is substantially larger, approximately 26 miles from Lipoa Point to the Pali, and has been discussed in more recent programming at dramatically higher cost levels.
To be fair, this is not a direct apples-to-apples comparison, because the project length and scope have expanded significantly. That expanded scope explains part of the cost increase.
However, that does not erase the larger concern.
Even accounting for scope change, West Maui Greenway still illustrates the consequences of prolonged delay:
• repeated planning cycles,
• slow project advancement,
• missed opportunities for phased implementation,
• and escalating costs associated with waiting.
The lesson is not simply that the project costs more because it is longer.
The lesson is that Maui still lacks a system for moving priority projects from concept to delivery in a timely, transparent, phased manner.
Maui MPO Must Stop Measuring Success Mainly by Plans Produced
The current UPWP emphasizes:
• plan updates,
• consultant services,
• policy development,
• and new studies.
But it does not require the MPO to report:
• which priority projects actually advanced,
• which remained stalled,
• why they stalled,
• or what portion of cost growth is due to inflation, scope expansion, environmental review, right-of-way issues, or agency inaction.
That is a major omission.
Policy Board Should Require Implementation Accountability
The Policy Board should direct Maui MPO to prepare an annual:
Major Project Implementation Accountability Report
For major projects, including West Maui Greenway, this report should identify:
• year first identified,
• original scope,
• current scope,
• original estimated cost,
• current estimated cost,
• causes of cost increase,
• causes of delay,
• responsible implementing agencies,
• current project stage,
• and realistic pathway to phased construction.
That kind of reporting would allow the public and decision-makers to separate:
• legitimate scope growth,
• unavoidable inflation,
• and preventable delay.
MPO Leadership Should Take a More Active Implementation Role
Maui MPO is in a unique position to convene the County, HDOT, planners, public works staff, and funding partners. The MPO should not function only as a document-producing body. It should also help identify where the delivery system is breaking down.
The Policy Board should direct staff to:
• identify stalled priority projects,
• conduct regular implementation review sessions,
• publicly report delivery barriers,
• and recommend phased or segment-based construction where full build-out is delayed.
For West Maui Greenway, this could include focusing on deliverable segments instead of allowing the full corridor to remain in extended planning.
Final Recommendation
The UPWP should add a standing work element for:
Implementation Monitoring and Delivery Oversight
Maui does not need planning to end.
Maui needs planning to produce visible results.
The public deserves not only new plans, but clear accountability for why long-identified projects do or do not get built.
Thank you.
Directed to the Maui MPO Policy Board
Chair and Members of the Policy Board,
This comment is directed to the leadership role of the Maui MPO Policy Board and the need for Maui MPO to move beyond perpetual planning and toward implementation accountability.
The FY 2027–2028 UPWP continues a pattern of producing studies, updates, and planning documents without providing an adequate framework for measuring whether priority projects are actually advancing to construction.
The issue is no longer whether Maui has planned enough.
The issue is whether Maui is delivering.
The UPWP describes Maui MPO as the island’s primary transportation planning management tool and the mechanism that helps maintain eligibility for federal funding. That role should include more than preparing plans. It should include tracking whether those plans result in implementation.
West Maui Greenway Shows Why This Matters
The West Maui Greenway is a strong example of why Maui MPO must begin addressing implementation performance directly.
In the 2003 Hawaiʻi Bike Plan, the West Maui Greenway was identified as a priority project at approximately 14.9 miles from Civic Center to Olowalu, with an estimated cost of $5,718,000.
Today, the current West Maui Greenway concept is substantially larger, approximately 26 miles from Lipoa Point to the Pali, and has been discussed in more recent programming at dramatically higher cost levels.
To be fair, this is not a direct apples-to-apples comparison, because the project length and scope have expanded significantly. That expanded scope explains part of the cost increase.
However, that does not erase the larger concern.
Even accounting for scope change, West Maui Greenway still illustrates the consequences of prolonged delay:
• repeated planning cycles,
• slow project advancement,
• missed opportunities for phased implementation,
• and escalating costs associated with waiting.
The lesson is not simply that the project costs more because it is longer.
The lesson is that Maui still lacks a system for moving priority projects from concept to delivery in a timely, transparent, phased manner.
Maui MPO Must Stop Measuring Success Mainly by Plans Produced
The current UPWP emphasizes:
• plan updates,
• consultant services,
• policy development,
• and new studies.
But it does not require the MPO to report:
• which priority projects actually advanced,
• which remained stalled,
• why they stalled,
• or what portion of cost growth is due to inflation, scope expansion, environmental review, right-of-way issues, or agency inaction.
That is a major omission.
Policy Board Should Require Implementation Accountability
The Policy Board should direct Maui MPO to prepare an annual:
Major Project Implementation Accountability Report
For major projects, including West Maui Greenway, this report should identify:
• year first identified,
• original scope,
• current scope,
• original estimated cost,
• current estimated cost,
• causes of cost increase,
• causes of delay,
• responsible implementing agencies,
• current project stage,
• and realistic pathway to phased construction.
That kind of reporting would allow the public and decision-makers to separate:
• legitimate scope growth,
• unavoidable inflation,
• and preventable delay.
MPO Leadership Should Take a More Active Implementation Role
Maui MPO is in a unique position to convene the County, HDOT, planners, public works staff, and funding partners. The MPO should not function only as a document-producing body. It should also help identify where the delivery system is breaking down.
The Policy Board should direct staff to:
• identify stalled priority projects,
• conduct regular implementation review sessions,
• publicly report delivery barriers,
• and recommend phased or segment-based construction where full build-out is delayed.
For West Maui Greenway, this could include focusing on deliverable segments instead of allowing the full corridor to remain in extended planning.
Final Recommendation
The UPWP should add a standing work element for:
Implementation Monitoring and Delivery Oversight
Maui does not need planning to end.
Maui needs planning to produce visible results.
The public deserves not only new plans, but clear accountability for why long-identified projects do or do not get built.
Thank you.
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