O'ahu isn't the only island with traffic problems.

As candidates for the 2nd Congressional seat in the U.S. House campaign across the state, they're hearing that there are traffic problems all over.

In South Kona, the line of vehicles can back up five or six miles between 3 and 6 p.m.

Afternoon rush hour is a problem on Maui, too, when the 16-mile trip from the Kahului Airport to Lahaina can take up to an hour and a half.

Even Kaua'i commuters sometimes experience bottlenecks these days, as they make their way though Kapa'a.

While the loudest transportation debates in Hawai'i revolve around how to more efficiently move commuters between West O'ahu and downtown Honolulu, the widely contested Democratic primary is turning the focus to the Neighbor Islands as well because federal money for transportation is one issue in the U.S. House race that most voters can relate to.

"I'm sure that all the Neighbor Islands have a lot in common when it comes to trying to compete for federal dollars. We have to get in line to see what we can get, with the voting population being predominantly on O'ahu," said Joe Pluta, president of the West Maui Taxpayers Association.

"In Maui, we desperately need highway funds, desperately, desperately," he said. "There's only one way (in and out of West Maui) — Honoapi'ilani — a 26-mile mountainous roadway that's literally falling into the ocean."

The district covers the entire state except O'ahu from Hawai'i Kai to 'Ewa Beach and Mililani. As the candidates travel through the district, they say traffic is one of the concerns they hear about the most.

"That's the one thing that people feel government has control over and should do something about," said state Sen. Colleen Hanabusa, D-21st (Nanakuli, Makaha).

In addition to fixing the roads, and adding new ones for communities with one main thoroughfare, Hanabusa said, the district needs public transportation systems, particularly for the elderly who live in isolated areas on the Neighbor Islands. "You're so spread out, the house lots are huge and unless you drive, you can't access things readily," she said.

NEED FOR BYPASS ROADS

Several candidates pointed out that when communities can only be accessed by a single road they face not only congestion, but safety issues as well.

"With one way in and one way out, it's not just a matter of avoiding traffic and convenience. It's a matter of access to healthcare," said state Rep. Brian Schatz, D-25th (Makiki, Tantalus).

But there are other reasons to help develop alternative routes and bypass roads that lead traffic around — rather than through — urban and residential areas.

Schatz pointed to the need for bypass roads in Kapa'a, Lahaina and Waimea, as well as connector roads in Kona, observing that the lack of infrastructure can be even more frustrating on the relatively uncrowded Neighbor Islands than on O'ahu.

"When people live on Neighbor Islands they make a trade-off and they're trading away some of the amenities of city life in order to have a higher quality of life," he said.

Former Lt. Gov. Mazie Hirono said the federal, state and county governments need to coordinate their transportation priorities. "We don't want federal funding to go to a road that communities don't really need or want," she said.

State Sen. Ron Menor, D-17th (Mililani, Waipi'o), said he supports rail transit on O'ahu, as well as other measures to help alleviate traffic congestion, such as additional zipper and contraflow lanes, ramp metering and technology to help monitor the highways and help drivers better plan their commutes.

Republican candidates state Sen. Bob Hogue and former state Rep. Quentin Kawananakoa both agreed that highways need to be addressed.

Hogue proposed high-occupancy vehicle lanes as an O'ahu traffic solution and highway expansion on the Neighbor Islands, while Kawananakoa proposed new highway construction on every island, including an alternative road on the Leeward Coast.

BEYOND TRANSPORTATION

In addition to transportation, some candidates focused on other infrastructure needs.

City Councilman Nestor Garcia, for instance, topped his list with a need for alternative energy resources to wean the state from its dependence on oil. "That is the most critical. Without that, you can't do anything. You can't drive your car, you can't turn on your air conditioner, you can't boot up your computer."

State Sen. Clayton Hee, (Kane'ohe, Kahuku), who highlighted traffic problems along the H-1 corridor, also brought up the need to expand the ports at state harbors. "Ninety-nine percent of our goods and services come from faraway places," Hee said. "Every port on every island is overtaxed by too little space and too many ships."

Hogue and Menor also said harbors were a priority, as did state Sen. Gary Hooser, D-7th (Kaua'i, Ni'ihau), who noted that Kahului Harbor in particular will need improvements to accommodate the Superferry.

On the Big Island, Hooser said, water and sewer lines could open up large tracts of land for development. "If they had water, they could put housing on it," he said.

Matsunaga said water is a problem on Maui, too. "There's definite needs on Maui with regard to upgrading the water system there," he said. "There's a significant problem with Maui's water transmission systems."

Menor said wastewater treatment facilities are also high on his priority list, as are military construction and renewable energy production.

In her list of priorities, longtime Big Island resident Marni Herkes said what the district really needs is better planning. "The roads are only a part of it," she said. "We need transportation systems. We need better planning all around."

"I've lived here for 55 years and I feel the quality of life is still here, the aloha spirit is still here, and I don't want to see it slip," she said.

Reach Treena Shapiro at tshapiro@honoluluadvertiser.com.