Traffiggedon. That’s the new term used by many to describe the type of massive traffic jam that recently forced West Oahu commuters to spend more than four hours on the road.

With Traffiggedon and the extension of the general excise tax for the rail transit system headlining the news, the recent proposal to purchase Alii Place to consolidate state offices in downtown Honolulu truly left us scratching our heads.

Doesn’t the state have a longstanding policy of directing growth to Kapolei to manage the island’s growth and redirect the flow of traffic? With a significant number of state workers living west of Aloha Stadium, shouldn’t the state apply its policy to its own operations?

Anyone who has spent hours on the H-1 freeway will agree that attention should be given to traffic solutions to alleviate the congestion. Redirecting the flow of traffic by allowing West Oahu residents to work where they live is one of those solutions that simply makes sense.

And more people are living on the west side. As planned, Kapolei continues to grow as the burgeoning Second City. Housing growth is projected to increase to over 56,000 by 2035.

Decades ago when planning of the Second City began, it was decided that government offices would be planted in Kapolei. The state has supported Kapolei’s growth through the development and construction of the University of Hawaii at West Oahu, Kapolei’s State Office Building and Judiciary Building, Villages of Kapolei and the creation and expansion of Kalaeloa Harbor — but the majority of state governmental agencies and offices are located in urban Honolulu. What are the state’s future plans for these offices in town as Kapolei continues to grow?

It was stated that the purchase of Alii Place would save millions of taxpayer dollars buying the office space leasehold as compared to constructing a building in a town location. What about the cost of traffic?

Every day, West Oahu residents are forced to suffer through one of the most congested corridors in the world, resulting in costly traffic solutions that involve facilitating the movement of West Oahu residents to jobs in downtown Honolulu. The state spends nearly $200 million annually on our roads on the island of Oahu alone.

It also is costing us more to drive our cars in the congestion. The average American spends over $1,700 each year to drive his or her car in traffic. Of course, that cost is much higher here. A recent study ranked Honolulu as having the third-worst traffic in the nation just behind San Francisco and Los Angeles. To put it in perspective: The cost for a household to drive in traffic in worst-ranked L.A. is $6,000 a year. We are not far off from that figure in Honolulu.

With the end of the legislative session just weeks away, the Senate Ways and Means Committee passed House Bill 1366 last week with an added Senate Draft 2 that identifies Alii Place in downtown Honolulu as the future home for state agencies and offices through a leasehold purchase. The bill passed a floor reading, and now heads to conference committee.

Rather than centralizing state offices in downtown Honolulu, shouldn’t the state look at developing another office building in Kapolei? Cars will be taken off the road and the quality of life for many will be improved — something to consider the next time we sit in traffic like many of us do every day.