§26-19  Department of transportation. The department of transportation shall be headed by a single executive to beknown as the director of transportation.

The department shall establish, maintain, andoperate transportation facilities of the State, including highways, airports,harbors, and such other transportation facilities and activities as may beauthorized by law.

The department shall plan, develop, promote,and coordinate various transportation systems management programs that shallinclude, but not be limited to, alternate work and school hours programs,bicycling programs, and ridesharing programs.

The department shall develop and promoteridesharing programs which shall include but not be limited to, carpool andvanpool programs, and may assist organizations interested in promoting similarprograms, arrange for contracts with private organizations to manage andoperate these programs, and assist in the formulation of ridesharingarrangements.  Ridesharing programs include informal arrangements in which twoor more persons ride together in a motor vehicle.

The functions and authority heretoforeexercised by the department of public works with respect to highways aretransferred to the department of transportation established by this chapter.

On July 1, 1961, the Hawaii aeronauticscommission, the board of harbor commissioners and the highway commission shallbe abolished and their remaining functions, duties, and powers shall betransferred to the department of transportation.

Upon the abolishment of the Hawaii aeronauticscommission, the board of harbor commissioners, and the highway commission,there shall be established within the department of transportation a commissionto be known as the commission on transportation which shall sit in an advisorycapacity to the director of transportation on matters within the jurisdictionof the department of transportation.  The commission on transportation shallconsist of not more than eleven members, with the number of members from eachcounty insofar as practicable being approximately proportional to thepopulation of the respective counties to the population of the State; providedthat each of the four counties shall be represented by at least one member. [LSp 1959 2d, c 1, §26; Supp, §14A-25; HRS §26-19; am L 1980, c 220, §§1, 2; am L1981, c 140, §1; am L 1983, c 43, §1; am L 1984, c 233, §1; am L 1989, c 31,§2; am L 1993, c 224, §§2, 6; am L 1995, c 25, §1; am L 1997, c 309, §4]