Highway 130 is the only route out of the fast-growing community, and is jammed with traffic each day. One critic called the council vote ‘a slap in the face’ for Puna residents.

The airport, which shut down for several hours, is scheduled for $120 million in upgrades this summer.

The Hawaii Department of Transportation said recent winter rains contributed to runway deterioration.

The City and County of Honolulu is soliciting contractors for help crafting an initial plan.

State transportation officials warn they will have to close Dillingham Airfield if negotiations with the Army, which owns the land, are unsuccessful.

The dry West Oahu neighborhood has just one way in and out. A decades-long push to build another route has failed to gain traction.

Residents near beaches and legal hiking trails will not be able to restrict parking in their neighborhoods.

Federal funding would cover much of the $63 million cost, but critics have other concerns as well.

But Mokulele Airlines’ new parent company says interisland travelers will start to see improvements in service much sooner than that.

The Hawaii DOT had earlier asked for public assistance locating it.