Maui County Studying Potential New Boat Public Transit During Flooding {NRL}

Planning ahead for the next flooding episode, Maui Bus is studying the possibility of running small boats temporarily down submerged streets to carry transit passengers.

The potential for "inland boat transit" service was first brought up when a big storm flooded areas of Haiku in March. Then, county officials noticed potential public waterways in Kihei during the big storm earlier this month.

"Since the state and county won't plan ahead and develop an adequate flood-control system, the least we can do is take advantage of all the water to keep moving people from Point A to Point B," said Fred Waihalana, a forward planner for the Maui Bus public transit service.

Considered for a pilot project is a temporary public boat transit service through 2 locations along South Kihei Road ~ past Kalama Park, and also through all of North Kihei.

"What we're still working on is the transfer points to real buses, since the flooding levels can vary storm to storm," Waihalana said. "But we're confident that our wonderful drivers can figure it all out. They're like U.S. Marines: improvise, adapt, and overcome."

Current Maui transit customers applauded the idea Thursday.

"It took me 45 minutes to cross Kihei Road on Dec. 6," said Irma Meahololio of Makawao. "It would have been nice to just hail a small boat. Then I could cross the street, or even ask the boat captain to take me all the way to work down near The Cove."

"It's crazy how storms always flood the streets around here," said Joe Realist of Kihei. "You would have thought they would have thought of the potential for serious runoff from Haleakala when they approved all these homes and businesses here. But, at least they're kind of thinking ahead with this temporary public boat transit concept.

"Maybe after that they can study needed infrastructure projects to actually prevent flooding from big storms."