Despite a growing call for a secondary access road through the Waianae Coast to relieve traffic congestion and address public safety concerns, the state Department of Transportation says it doesn’t have the money to build it and is instead focusing on improvements planned for Farrington Highway.

Ed Sniffen, who heads the DOT’s Highways Division, said Monday the estimated $150 million to $500 million needed to build a two-lane road parallel to Farrington Highway would be too costly at this time. He said DOT is instead working on improvements to the four-lane highway that would bring some relief to residents sooner and at a lower cost by tapping federal funds.

“The funding for additional roads is just not there right now,” Sniffen told residents at a packed community meeting Monday at Ka Waihona o ka Naauao Public Charter School in Nanakuli. “The department is defaulting towards operational improvements that we can make to improve the roads we already have because that’s the easiest, the fastest and the cheapest way we can bring the improvements sooner rather than later.”

He added that he has had to tell other communities the DOT does not have funding to build their projects. The department announced last year it would focus its effort and most of its funding on maintaining existing roads due to lack of money.

The department is procuring a corridor study that would assess and offer recommendations on a second access route through the Waianae Coast, as well as ways to reduce congestion, increase capacity and improve safety. Sniffen said the study is needed to justify using federal funds for operational improvements the DOT would like to work on within the next two years, including extending the Nanakuli fifth-lane project to Hakimo Road.

“Any study that we consider (has) to consider the universal possibilities, so the second access and all that stuff (has) to be considered,” Sniffen said. “But we can determine after we update the studies that those options are infeasible at this time. We got to make sure we update all the numbers first so we can show the federal government that we went through a consistent and complete process to come to the conclusion that we do.”

State Rep. Cedric Gates, who introduced a bill that would appropriate funds to the DOT to develop plans for secondary access roads through the Waianae Coast, said a second access road is a long-term solution that he believes can be built in the future and that planning should start now.

“I wasn’t expecting to get a road built in the next two to four years. It was more so honing in on the plan and design so we could get a more accurate number,” said Gates (D, Waianae-Makaha-Makua). “But regardless, I have to push for the second access road because of the public safety concerns. I think that we can really get the gears moving.”

Several years ago officials turned down an alternative route dubbed the Mauka Highway, which would have run through the Waianae Range to Kunia, after the cost was estimated at $500 million to $750 million.

State Rep. Andria Tupola said she was not surprised to hear the DOT doesn’t have funding for another road, given that the department previously announced it would focus on operational improvements statewide. Tupola (R, Kalaeloa-Ko Olina-Maili) said she has been working with U.S. Rep. Tulsi Gabbard on ways to improve Kolekole Pass, a military-owned road that runs through the Waianae Range that is currently not open to the public.

“We just want to know, bottom line, what’s happening. I think there could be money in the future for it (second access road),” Tupola said. “The more dollars that we can bring from outside our government and outside our spending, the more money we have to circulate around for projects.”

Other ideas have included extending the Waianae Coast Emergency Access Route, a series of public and private roads that bypass Farrington Highway but can be opened only during emergencies. Last year lawmakers appropriated $6 million in state and city funds for land acquisition and the planning and design for an extension of the emergency access route.

Officials are looking into extending the emergency access route from Helelua Street to Nanakuli Avenue and are speaking to Nanakuli Homestead residents, said William Aila, state Department of Hawaiian Home Lands deputy director. Sniffen said the DOT is working with the city to see whether the emergency access route can be opened during planned construction times.

Sen. Maile Shimabukuro (D, Kalaeloa-Waianae-Makaha) said connecting the emergency access roads and opening portions for daily use are viable.

Sniffen also said the contra-flow lane, which opened in August from Piliokahi Avenue to near Nanaikeola Street during afternoon rush hour, will remain open through December. Construction has been delayed on a project to build a dedicated turn lane in Nanakuli. It was scheduled for completion in July.

Sniffen said the DOT is considering extending the fifth lane to Hakimo Road. He also said the department is looking into keeping the contra-flow lane open after the turn-lane project is completed.

Richard Landford, former Transportation Committee chairman for the Nanakuli/Maili Neighborhood Board, said after years of working toward getting a secondary access road, he was disappointed to hear there is not enough funding at this time.

“I’m not surprised that Ed says that they don’t have money. (But) to find out now after all this time that there’s no money … I get upset,” Landford said. “We have a lot of little things that need to be adjusted or addressed before you can look at the big picture. But we’ll see.”

Sniffen also discussed other improvements to Farrington Highway:

>> The DOT will install cameras at Helelua Street and Nanakuli and Haleakala avenues to monitor traffic patterns.

>> Crews plan to start resurfacing the highway from Kahe Point to Kili Drive in May or June. The project could include re-striping, bus stop relocations and removals, crosswalk relocations, and flashing beacon systems at some unsignaled crosswalks.