Summary
Testifiers repeatedly called Kihei a one-way-in, one-way-out 'death trap,' citing four-hour gridlock during a tsunami warning and the Lahaina fire. Many demanded infrastructure and a second exit before any more homes are built.
At a glance
- Total mentions
- 4
- Last 30 days
- 0
Rising — discussed at 4 meetings since Sep 14, 2026, up from 0 in the two months before.
Impact analysis
Building a North Kīhei bypass or opening ranch-road access would require major county infrastructure spending not yet funded.
All South Maui residents, especially families and kupuna, would benefit from reliable evacuation capacity.
Current and future South Maui residents face potentially fatal evacuation delays in a fire or tsunami.
Mentions & discussions (4)
Disaster Recovery, International Affairs, and Planning Committee (2025-2027) — September 28, 2026
The Olowalu wildfire over the weekend spotlighted South Maui's lack of a second evacuation route — only two primary roads serve the area and they converge. Testifiers urged the committee to treat evacuation capacity as a condition for any further growth approvals.
Disaster Recovery, International Affairs, and Planning Committee (2025-2027) — September 21, 2026
Testifiers Greg Rylsky (a Lahaina fire survivor) and Robert Bence pushed hard on evacuation; the committee upgraded identifying public and private roads for evacuation use to high priority and added MEMA as lead, with Vernon Kalanikau describing work on Mākena-area exit options.
Disaster Recovery, International Affairs, and Planning Committee (2025-2027) — September 15, 2026
After the 2023 fires and a tsunami scare, South Maui residents are scared about having only one road out of Kīhei. Public Works said the mauka bypass is a state project with no progress, and the county can't "require" the state to build it — but landowners and the Maui MPO may help get it moving.
Disaster Recovery, International Affairs, and Planning Committee (2025-2027) — September 14, 2026
Testifiers repeatedly called Kihei a one-way-in, one-way-out 'death trap,' citing four-hour gridlock during a tsunami warning and the Lahaina fire. Many demanded infrastructure and a second exit before any more homes are built.
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