Kauaʻi Holds Public Design Charrette for Haleko Road Improvements

The County of Kauaʻi is inviting residents and stakeholders to a series of public design sessions in January to develop improvements for Haleko Road. The collaborative charrette, scheduled for the week of January 12, 2026, will be held at the Piʻikoi Building in the Līhuʻe Civic Center at 4444 Rice Street. County planners are partnering with the Hawaiʻi Department of Health and the Hawaiʻi Public Health Institute to center public health and transportation safety in the design work.

Officials say the project scope includes roadway rehabilitation and resurfacing, pedestrian and bicycle improvements, and traffic flow enhancements. Haleko Road provides a connection from Rice Street and the Līhuʻe town core across Nāwiliwili Stream to businesses and residences, including newly developed affordable housing on Pua Loke Street. Current conditions present challenges for pedestrians, cyclists, and drivers, and the charrette will use on the ground observation and public workshops to develop specific design components.

The public schedule includes a community walk audit and workshop on Tuesday January 13 from 4 30 to 8 p.m. Participants will walk Haleko Road beginning at 4 30 p.m. to identify areas for improvement and will reconvene at 6 p.m. to develop recommendations. A closing workshop on Thursday January 15 from 5 to 7 p.m. will present preliminary design concepts based on input from the walk and earlier workshop. Dinner will be provided at both sessions. Anyone needing auxiliary aid or other accommodation due to a disability may contact Ms. Marie Williams at mwilliams@kauai.gov or 808 241 4067. For additional information contact the Public Works Engineering Division at 808 241 4883 or pwengineering@kauai.gov.

The charrette process places primary decision making power with the County while drawing on state health expertise and community knowledge. For residents, the sessions represent an opportunity to influence design choices that will affect everyday travel and access to local services. The input collected will inform the technical design phase that follows and will shape the options County decision makers evaluate as they move toward implementation.