New Kihei Roundabout Needs Ideas for the Center

Hawaii state transportation planners are reaching out to ask Maui residents for help in determining what exactly will go in the center of the new highway roundabout now under construction in Kihei.

State leaders have expressed that they want something very special in the center of the 2-laned behemoth on Piilani Highway (31) at Kulanihakoi Street. The traffic circle is being built at the entrance to the new Kihei High School.

"This is a bigger endeavor for us than those small neighborhood roundabouts we have down the road in Kihei, or in Kahului near the golf course, on Maui," said Ed Alolio, director of forward planning for the Hawaii Department of Transportation. "So local leaders have asked us to look into having something special in the middle, a cherry atop the cake, so to speak."

Originally, local Maui leaders envisioned a huge statue of some sort. However, they could not agree on who or what the statue should represent. Additionally, some thought it would just be torn down during future peaceful protests, like those of summer 2020.

State DOT officials were cool to the statue idea anyway. They warn that whatever goes in the middle, it cannot be too eye-catching or distracting considering that thousands of vehicles going very fast will be sharing the roundabout with hundreds of teen-agers on a daily basis.

"Safety is paramount, of course," Alolio said.

So his department this week began sending feelers to local communities and homeowners associations asking for their ideas.

It's still early in the process, but Alolio said already some solid suggestions have arrived, including but not limited to:

• A gigantic frog, to represent the main character in the 1980s arcade game "Frogger" where the make-believe amphibian must cross a traffic-congested roadway
• A large version of the big, very dangerous metal spinning playground thingies from the 1970s
• A tall pole with several long strands extending outward with lots of small pennants, emulating the fairground carousels popular in the late 1800s
• A huge dodgeball
• The biggest sign possible, facing all directions, warning visitors and tourists to AVOID
• A large electronic message board with the link to a YouTube video on how to navigate through roundabouts
• A large photo of a beautiful pedestrian overpass, so passing motorists will be reminded of what was not included in the current design to keep all those high school students away from highway traffic

"Well, we can dream, can't we?" asked a mother who lives just west of the big roundabout.