Infrastructure

Hawaiʻi lawmakers passed the state budget Wednesday that includes $30 million to hire a developer to build a new jail to replace the deteriorating and overpopulated Oʻahu Community Correctional Center.

Air travelers now have free Wi-Fi at the Molokaʻi Airport while they wait for their flights. Service through Hawaiian Telcom began on April 17 and is available throughout the terminal.

Lahaina's sewer system is now 100% restored. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers has been working on the completion of the sewer line along Fleming Road to support FEMA's Kilohana temporary housing site.

Speaking to The Conversation, Honolulu Environmental Services Director Roger Babcock discussed past wastewater spills, and the multiple threats to Waikīkī associated with sea level rise.

A local advocacy group is calling on the state Department of Transportation to spend more of its budget on building out alternatives to cars. But HDOT says its priority is to spend what it takes to keep roads safe. HPR’s Savannah Harriman-Pote has more.

The state Commission on Water Resource Management just approved an Oʻahu-specific plan to guide water use until 2040. It's part of an ongoing update to the larger, statewide Hawaiʻi Water Plan that hasn’t been changed in about 25 years.

The Honolulu City Council passed its massive land use bill Wednesday that will impact construction, agriculture, business and housing across the island. The council has been working on the measure for the last two years. It’s over 250 pages and impacts every type of land usage on Oʻahu. HPR's Ashley Mizuo and Mark Ladao bring you this two-part series.

The Commerce Department's National Telecommunications and Information Administration awarded Hawaiʻi $6 million to expand telehealth, increasing access to devices and digital literacy education.

President-elect Donald Trump has vowed to roll back spending on climate initiatives when he returns to the White House. HPR's Savannah Harriman-Pote reports on what that could mean for Hawaiʻi's clean energy transition and climate goals.

The Department of Hawaiian Home Lands has received a four-year $72 million federal grant to build infrastructure, increase workforce development programs and establish community centers on DHHL land for better digital access.