Hele-On Awarded $270,000 For Pāhoa Transit Hub Planning

Hele-on, and the Hawaiʻi Department of Transportation (HDOT), received $270,000 from the United States Department of Transportation (USDOT) and the Federal Transit Administration (FTA) Areas of Persistent Poverty (AoPP) program.  As a result, the (HDOT) will receive funding to plan for a transit hub in downtown Pāhoa and support a fixed-route transit system.
SSFM International has been selected as the consultant to complete the site selection, environmental analysis, and 30% of the design. A public outreach process is included in this project. Eleven sites will be looked at to determine the feasibility of a transit hub with amenities discussed at public meetings. Additionally, the consultant team will evaluate the potential of colocating a future Pāhoa Public Library at the Transit Hub with funding from the Hawaiʻi State Public Libraries to fund that effort.
The USDOT will provide $16.2 million to fund 40 projects in 32 states and territories. FTA grants the awards on a competitive basis to state and local governments, transit agencies, and nonprofit organizations to create better transit for residents with limited or no transportation options.  The program supports the Biden-Harris Administration’s Justice40 initiative and general goals of advancing racial equity and improving public health and the environment through transportation planning that results in new or better transit services. AoPP grants are awarded for planning, engineering, technical studies, or financial plans to improve transit in Census-defined low-income areas. The program also supports coordinated human service transportation planning to improve transit service or provide new services, including paratransit.
FTA received applications totaling close to $63 million in funding requests. Projects were selected based on criteria described in the Notice of Funding Opportunity. Information on prior year funded projects under the program, previously known as the Helping Obtain Prosperity for Everyone (HOPE) initiative.
For additional Hele-On information, call (808) 961-8744 or visit www.heleonbus.org.