The legislature finds that continued growth in transport demand and increasing mobility requirements indicate a need for innovative, as well as improved, transportation systems which, while serving local needs, are integrated on a statewide basis. The State Transportation Plan of 1961 is no longer responsive to the needs of the people of Hawaii. A comprehensive, multi-modal statewide transportation planning process should be established which involves all levels of government in a cooperative process to develop coordinated transportation plans. Coordination of such a statewide planning process should be the primary responsibility of the department of transportation. However, to ensure that statewide transportation planning involves the continuing involvement of county governments in the production of a statewide transportation plan, there is a need to establish a statewide transportation council consisting of representatives of the state government and each of the four counties. There is no intent to diminish or pre-empt the existing authorities and responsibilities of county governments for the planning and implementation of transportation systems. It is the purpose of this chapter to provide a means of coordinating the State’s existing responsibilities for inter-island and major highway transportation planning and development with counties’ responsibilities for intra-island surface transportation system planning and development, in order to facilitate the ultimate production of a statewide transportation plan which optimizes intra-island and inter-island system integration.