West--East: Waimea lies at a crossroads between the West (Kona) side and East (Hilo) side of the island. At present, essentially of the traffic between the west and east sides must pass through Waimea.

Land--Power: Much of the land development on Hawaii island is occurring on the West side. Political power currently resides on the East side. One the books in our lending library is Land and Power in Hawaii: The Democratic Years by G. Cooper and G. Daws. While the book was published in 1985, it still throws much light on the land and power situation in Hawaii. To read the humorous story of how Waikoloa got its sidewalks, click on the following link:

Excerpt from Land and Power in Hawaii (0.9 MB)

Port--Trees: Over 25,000 acres of eucalyptus trees were planted in Hamakua region as a replacement for sugar cane. About 10,000 acres of this land is owned by Parker Ranch. Another 10,000 acres of mohagany, cedar and koa were planted on State lands 30 years ago. Another few thousand acres in Kau are planted in trees. All these trees are ready to be harvested. Because the eucalyptus trees will be chipped (or peeled) on the east side, it is likely that the chips will be shipped out of Kawaihae Harbor (where capacity can be provided and drier weather prevails). All of the chips will be trucked through Waimea.

Jobs--Homes: Most of the jobs are on the West side (at the resorts and at construction sites) and most of the workers live on the East side. They commute through Waimea every workday.

Cars--Gasoline: All of the gasoline that is shipped to the island arrives at Hilo Harbor. Most of the population (and cars) is on the West side, necessitating the shipment of gasoline (you guessed it) through Waimea.

Landfill--Garbage: The Hilo landfill is near the end of its useful life. The only other landfill on the island is the West side. Political squabbling within the County Council has prevented Hawaii County from implementing its Solid Waste Management Plan in a timely manner. That plan calls for a "high tech" solution (read "incinarator," most likely) to be constructed on the East side. After the Hilo landfill closes and until the high tech solution is implemented, trucking of Hilo's garbage through Waimea will occur. Even if a high tech solution is implemented, trucking of residuals (like ash) will occur.

Choke--Point: Waimea is a choke point, particularly at the Lindsey Rd intersection. Should the intersection become intentionally or unintentionally blocked, travel from the East side to the West side of the island (and vise versa) would be stopped. Access to the hospital from the West side would be blocked and access by Waimea fire, police and ambulance services to the West side would be prevented.

Considering just downtown Waimea, there are two choke points in our town. One choke point is the two approaches to the Lindsey Rd intersection on Mamalahoa Hwy from the south and on Kawaihae Rd from the west. (It is possible to "rat run" from Lae Lae Rd and Opelo Rd to Lindsey Rd and some drivers are doing that.) The other choke point is the approach to the Kamamalu Rd intersection on Mamalahoa Hwy from the west. (It is possible to "rat run" from Mana Rd to Kamamalu Rd. on Kahilu Rd, Ainahu Alanui or Pa'eli Alanui and some drivers are doing that. It is also possible but not advisable to trespass on hospital property and "rat run" from Pukalani Rd into the hospital parking lot and out the entrance to the hospital.)