Highways

Celebrating World Oceans Day 2022

World Oceans Day, annually celebrated on June 8th, is a day to raise global awareness of the benefits humankind derives from the ocean and our individual and collective duty to use its resources sustainably.

The Hawaii Department of Transportation (HDOT) plays a critical role in the protection of our ocean environment.

All three divisions of HDOT (Airports, Harbors and Highways) own and operate a municipal separate storm sewer system (MS4), which conveys storm water runoff from our transportation infrastructure and into the nearest stream or ocean.

As this runoff travels through the storm drain system, it has the potential to carry oil, sediment, and other pollutants, negatively impacting our water quality.

HDOT implements storm water management initiatives across the state to help reduce the potential for pollutants to be discharged from HDOT’s storm drains.

By: Rodney Gerard

All divisions’ MS4s are regulated under the Hawaii Administrative Rules, Chapter 11-55, National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) Permit.

The State of Hawaii Department of Health (DOH) issues MS4 NPDES Permits to authorize the discharge of storm water runoff and certain non-storm water discharges from permittees into state waters in and around the islands.

The development of a Storm Water Management Program is one of the main requirements of an MS4 NPDES Permit.

HDOT’s Storm Water Management Programs all share the following six components, known as Minimum Control Measures:

• Public Education and Outreach • Public Involvement/Participation • Illicit Discharge Detection and Elimination • Construction Site Runoff Control • Post-Construction Storm Water Management • Pollution Prevention and Good Housekeeping

For more information about HDOT’s Storm Water Management Programs, please visit here.

HDOT is proud of its environmental stewardship efforts and the role it plays in preserving Hawaii’s ocean resources.

World Oceans Day is a reminder of the collective action that is required to restore and revitalize this priceless global resource.

To explore more World Oceans Day events, visit here.

Highways

Safe Systems Series and Safe Systems Challenge

By: Highway Safety Office

The Highway Safety Office continues its series of articles throughout the year that will emphasize the Safe Systems Approach.

As an incentive to the reader, we want you to join us in the “Safe Systems Challenge.” Participate in the “Safe System Challenge” by learning more about the Safe Systems Approach and identifying how we are moving forward as a State in adopting Safe Systems concepts.

You will have an opportunity with each Safe Systems newsletter article to participate in a quiz, an “I spy photo game”, or actively participate in one of our traffic safety campaigns.

You will earn one out of 7 badges for each entry. Each badge will serve as a submission to prize drawing held at the end of the year.

The last newsletter article focused on the Safe User, and if you still want to participate in the safe user challenge by clicking here.

This article again focuses on Safe Users. June is the beginning of summer and with that comes things like vacation, visitors, and often traffic crashes. Ensuring every person in your vehicle is wearing a seat belt or secure in the appropriate child passenger restraint will drastically reduce your risk of injury or death.

Sadly, even with a seat belt use rate of over 97%, we still lose an average of 16 lives each year due to individuals not being properly restrained.

This year the legislature passed S.B. 152, which will change the requirements for child passenger restraints.

Youth up to two years old now need to be in a “rear-facing” child passenger restraint.

Children will now need to either be 10 years old or taller than 4 feet 9 inches to sit without a booster seat.

The passage of this measure ensures children along all stages of growth and development are in the safest seat for their height and age.

You can participate in the third part of the “Safe Systems Challenge” by clicking here to take quick survey, and see the latest safety message by NHTSA.

Highways

Statewide Noxious Invasive Pest Program

By: Andrew Hirano

What is SNIPP? In 2009, the Hawai‘i Department of Transportation (HDOT) worked with stakeholders to formulate the Highways Division’s Statewide Noxious Invasive Pest Program (SNIPP) for the management of invasive species on HDOTadministered land.

This stakeholder engagement resulted in the development of a 10-year SNIPP Strategic Plan, which has been actively implemented since 2012 through a contract with SWCA Environmental Consultants.

Funding for the program comes from HDOT and the U.S. Department of Transportation. Invasive species can also be introduced to highway rightsof-way (ROWs) by contaminated equipment or materials (e.g., soil, mulch, and gravel) used during road construction projects.

Properties that border the ROWs are also a potential source of invasive species within road corridors.

Why is SNIPP needed? Hawai‘i’s unique environment, rich biodiversity, and geographic isolation make the islands particularly vulnerable to the impacts of invasive species. Reducing the introduction, spread, and impact of invasive species within ROWs ensures that we mālama āina and do our part as active land stewards.

These impacts include degradation of natural habitats, harm to human health, and reduced economic output due to factors such as crop damage and costly invasive species control programs, estimated to be close to $150 million per year. How is SNIPP being implemented? SNIPP is focused on five strategic tasks for invasive species management within highway ROWs and other HDOTadministered sites:

SNIPP undertakes surveys for the invasive little fire ant (wasmannia auropunctata). Photo courtesy of Hawaii Ant Lab. 1. Prevention of the spread and establishment of invasive species along ROWs. 2. Early detection and rapid response to identify, report, and respond to newly detected species before they impact ROWs.

Vehicles are one of the primary catalysts for the dispersal of invasive species along transportation corridors.

SNIPP PROGRAM continued from page 8

Highways

3. Control and management of already established invasive species to reduce their harmful impacts on ROWs.

4. Restoration using non-invasive or appropriate native plants on ROWs that reduce risk from harmful invasive plants.

5. Community outreach and organizational collaboration with other state agencies, non-profit organizations, and neighboring landowners to ensure long-term solutions for invasive species management in Hawaiʻi.

Some of the work that has been completed to date as part of SNIPP includes:

• Roadside Surveys: Every other year, 400 miles of state roadsides is surveyed to document the current distribution and abundance of priority invasive species in state ROWs.

The locations of invasive species populations are loaded onto the publicly accessible Invasive Plant Mapping Website.

Training and promoting the use of best management practices is a major component of the SNIPP. Above, HDOT maintenance workers on Kauai receive training in chainsaw maintenance.

• Site Surveys: Surveys are conducted at HDOT facilities and construction sites to document the presence of target invasive species.

• HMSLM and MPTD Trainings: Annual training workshops are provided to HDOT staff and contractors based on material in HDOT’s Highway Manual for Sustainable Landscape Maintenance (HMSLM).

Albizia or falcataria moluccana are also invasive species in Hawaii. Photos courtesy of Forest and Kim Starr. Maintenance Professional Track Development (MPTD) workshops are also provided for HDOT staff in subjects pertinent to their roles.

Future SNIPP updates In the coming issues of the HDOT newsletter we will provide SNIPP updates, highlight invasive species to look out for, and share best management practices for their control.