Editorial: Plan to upgrade infrastructure

With many parts of the state’s infrastructure systems operating beyond their useful life, signals of strain are escalating.

Among them: chronic flooding and erosion on coastal roads, aging bridges and dam structures threatened by heavy rains. In some cases, such as the proposal to move Farrington Highway inland where it bisects Makaha Beach, upgrades recommended in a Honolulu master plan and studies drafted decades ago have since been shelved due to tight funding and various other infrastructure priorities.

On Monday, Hawaii congressional delegation members delivered welcome encouragement that a much-needed overhaul of our systems that pose rising public health and safety concerns, as well as an expansion of safeguards against climate-change threats, could be greatly advanced with federal funding assistance envisioned in President Joe Biden’s “Build Back Better” effort, which is expected to cost upwards of $3 trillion.

If such an infrastructure package secures approval at the U.S. Capitol — and it’s still a big if — U.S. Rep. Ed Case said allocated funding would likely target “longer-term” infrastructure fixes, rather than loosely defined patching. That heads-up should prod city and state leaders and others to work in tandem toward seizing opportunity, starting with dusting off delayed proposals and drafting a sensible prioritized strategy for tackling Hawaii’s long list of must-do modernization.

In addition to updating physical infrastructure, Build Back Better is expected to include funding for clean energy initiatives tied to projects such as public transit, including rail and buses, and electric vehicle charging stations. On those scores, an infusion of federal dollars could help Hawaii meet locally imposed deadlines for getting gas-guzzling vehicles off the road and generating 100% of electricity sales from renewable resources.

Honolulu’s cash-strapped and delay-plagued rail project is expecting a $70 million infusion in federal COVID-19 relief money to make up for last year’s drop in funding from general excise and transient accommodations taxes. The Honolulu Authority for Rapid Transportation should immediately size up its eligibility for this potential round of funding.

Another element of the plan, which the Biden administration would like to see passed and signed into law this summer, involves investing in energy efficiency in buildings, including completing 4 million retrofits and building 1.5 million new affordable homes.

Due to pinched city and state budgets, there’s little hope of significantly reducing our vast affordable housing shortage anytime soon. However, a smartly executed long-term strategy that aligns well with Build Back Better could change the housing outlook.

In March 2019, the American Society of Civil Engineers’ Hawaii Section issued an infrastructure report card that painted a grim picture, with the state receiving an overall grade of D+ on a roster including: aviation, bridges, coastal areas, dams, drinking water, energy, roads, schools, solid waste, stormwater and wastewater. The overall national grade in society’s latest quadrennial assessment was also a lackluster D+.

Moving forward, Lt. Gov. Josh Green and others have correctly observed that due to Hawaii’s high vulnerability to sea level rise, we must be a “half-step ahead” of what the rest of the country does to restore and grow infrastructure efficiency and protections. In recent years, federal reports have asserted that climate change impacts are already underway in the islands, with more than $19 billion in related damage projected statewide by the end of this century.

But for the sake of future generations that will continue to pick up infrastructure challenges, Hawaii needs to forge ahead. Plan thoughtfully and invest now, or pay more later.