State transportation officials want to help expedite hundreds of millions of dollars in military construction projects in Hawaiʻi and are asking lawmakers to authorize the state Department of Transportation to function as a military partner to speed work on and off local military bases.

The federal government is reducing support for social programs such as food aid and medical care for the poor, a policy shift that has triggered a state budget shortfall as Hawaiʻi tries to make up the difference.

But state Transportation Director Ed Sniffen points out federal military spending is rapidly increasing.

Sniffen wants the state to partner more closely with the military to help get federal construction jobs to local contractors more quickly, a strategy he says will boost the state economy while it also provides a substantial funding bump for some state transportation projects.

“Especially with this new federal administration that has prioritized military, that’s where the funding is going to go,” Sniffen recently told the Senate Ways and Means Committee, “so we’ll be there with them to ensure we can bring more into Hawaiʻi.”

The department also noted in written testimony military installations “serve as essential lifelines for logistics, transportation, communications, and emergency shelter during emergencies, directly supporting the health, safety, and welfare of the public.”

The state House and Senate have both given preliminary approved to Senate Bill 3156, which would authorize the transportation department to enter into agreements to help with maintenance and other projects for the Department of Defense, now also known as the Department of War.

The bill requires that federal funds be used to pay those projects and would not allow the department to use of the state’s share of federal highway funding to pay for any of the work. The state would charge a fee for its services, which Sniffen estimated would amount to about 10% of the project costs.

A Backlog Of Work

Sniffen told Civil Beat the military has understandably been focused more on its mission and readiness and has neglected some necessary facility maintenance.

“They don’t have enough resources or people to put out all those infrastructure projects that are necessary for their bases,” he said. “We would come in and help fill that, at a cost.”

Under the proposed new agreement between the state and the military, the military would pay for the projects and the state staff that works on those projects, plus the 10% administrative fee. The intergovernmental agreement would make the transportation department the military’s prime designer and general contractor on specific projects, he said.

The transportation department would use the state procurement system to award the military jobs, which includes a preference for local contractors, Sniffen said. While the military solicits bids nationally, the state would not be required to do so, making it more likely the jobs the transportation department handles will go to local contractors.

Examples of the projects Sniffen has in mind are improvements to the roadway through Kolekole Pass and major work needed on the Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam apron and ramp areas. That job alone is expected to cost as much as $700 million.

The partnership could apply to much additional work, he said, including roads on military bases, ports or other airfields. The military will set its priorities based on the funding it has available and invite the state to participate in projects as appropriate.

That plan has been under discussion for about two years, Sniffen said, and the agreement with the military could be finalized as early as the end of this year. The bill would make it clear the state transportation department has the authority to handle work on military bases.

Robin Shishido, the DOT’s deputy director for highways, told the House Transportation Committee that several other states have similar agreements with the defense department, including Texas. The state modeled its proposed agreement after the arrangements in other states, he said.

So What About State Roads?

Organizations such as ConsumerAffairs have ranked Hawaiʻi’ roads as among the worst in the nation in recent years, but Sniffen said the proposed new arrangement with the military will not interfere with state transportation department’s efforts to maintain Hawaiʻi’s civilian road network.

The state will use federal money to hire private consultants to help with the military work, he said, and if additional state staff is needed, the military will pay for that as well. The administrative fees paid by the military for each project can be used to help fund additional state work.

“None of the work that we’re doing will be delayed because of this military work,” Sniffen said. “We’ll make sure that we get the appropriate staffing or consultants to ensure that we can move everything forward as quickly as possible.”

As for the current condition of Hawaiʻi’s roads — many of which are under the jurisdiction of the city and counties — “we don’t have the funding to advance the system,” Sniffen said. “If we had more funding directly into our system, you wouldn’t see us trying to keep up with it.”

Only a handful of people testified on SB 3156 or its companion measure House Bill 2336 during a series of hearings this session, all of them in support. The House and Senate both voted unanimously in favor of SB 3156, which now goes to conference committee to iron out details in the bill.

But not everyone thinks the proposed new DOT-DOD partnership is a great idea.

Jim Albertini, a longtime peace activist on the Big Island, said “it seems ridiculous to me that this is even under consideration.”

For years Albertini has pressed government officials to investigate what he believes is pollution or contamination at the U.S. Army’s Pōhakuloa Training Area, and he said state funds would be better spent on that effort.

With President Trump proposing a $1.5 trillion military budget, Albertini said the U.S. military hardly needs any help from Hawaiʻi state government, and Hawaiʻi’s civilian transportation system needs lots of work.

“When I drive from Kurtistown into Hilo, I have to really dodge potholes on Highway 11 going in,” Albertini said. “I had to have front-end work done on my car in the past year because of these potholes.”