A stopover on Maui through U. S. Senator Mazie K. Hirono (D-HI) highlighted federal investments in Hawaiian communities and ongoing recovery and reconstruction efforts after the COVID-19 pandemic.
During her visit, Senator Hirono unveiled the Honoapiʻilani Highway Realignment Project, which earned $22 million in federal investment last year.
Senator Hirono began her day with a segment of the Honoapiʻilani Highway Realignment Project in Olowalu that will move several kilometers from the Honoapiʻilani Highway, which is lately exposed to sea level rise and coastal erosion.
Last fall, Senator Hirono helped the Hawaii Department of Transportation secure a $22 million federal grant to rebuild U. S. infrastructure. U. S. with sustainability and equity or “RAISE” to help fund the project. bridges hawaii is expected to gain from the bipartisan Infrastructure and Jobs Investment Act enacted last year.
“The Honoapiʻilani Highway is an important connection between West Maui and the rest of Maui,” Senator Hirono said in a press release. “But with worsening climate change, emerging sea levels threaten to make parts of the road impassable, which would cause significant difficulties. “for others who have the path to work, school and much more. As we work to fight climate change, we will need to invest in resilient infrastructure that serves our communities now and in the long term. I was proud to help secure federal investments for this and other similar infrastructure projects with the $1. 5 billion investment in bridges and highways that Hawaii will get through the bipartisan Infrastructure Act.
He also visited two restaurants and a function venue that won a federal investment in financial aid for the COVID-19 pandemic.
During her visit, Senator Hirono met with Mike Phillips, owner of Coconut’s, who told her that she wouldn’t be in business today if it weren’t for RRF’s investment that allowed her to keep the restaurant open and retain 112 workers during the pandemic. Last month, the five Senate Republicans voted against offering $40 billion in additional investments to the FRR, according to Senator Hirono.
Coconut’s Fish Café in Kihei earned $2,327,164 in relief investment from the Restaurant Revitalization Fund established through the American Rescue Plan.
“The COVID-19 pandemic has been devastating for restaurants that have been forced to close with little certainty of when they might reopen,” said Senator Hirono. complicated for companies to survive. Democrats created the Restaurant Revitalization Fund to help restaurants like Coconut’s Fish Café survive, and I’m pleased to see those restaurants once again serve our communities, employ our neighbors, and contribute to our economy.
Senator Ended Her Day on Maui with a Maui Arts
Thanks to the investment SVOG received, the MACC, which was forced to temporarily close in March 2020, has creatively resorted to virtual performances to continue employing artists, technical groups and staff until it can resume face-to-face programming.
“For nearly 30 years, Maui Arts