MAUI (KHON2) -- Toll roads are a foreign concept to Hawaii drivers, but a new bill (SB217) could pave the way for them in the islands giving the Department of Transportation (DOT) tolling authority, focusing first on a very popular, and problematic, highway on Maui. Get Hawaii's latest morning news delivered to your inbox, sign up for News 2 You Hana Highway on Maui is a spectacular scenic drive, winding through 620 curves, 59 bridges and countless waterfalls. It's very popular with visitors and it's also where lawmakers want to put the states first toll road between mile marker 32 and mile marker 40. "The bill gives us the authority to toll, especially on this portion of our highway, and this is Hana highway an area where the residents have been very vocal about the traffic coming through the area, especially attributed, attributable to to tourists," Department of Transportation Director Ed Sniffen said. He said the goal is not to deter tourists from going to Hana because that could hurt local businesses. "We're not for or against this bill," Sniffen explained. "We're looking at the technical requirements from from federal highways to let the our legislators know what's possible. But there could be impacts, both from the Federal Highways perspective on what's eligible and from the economic perspective for the businesses in that area." Hana resident Tim Everett owns East Maui Towing & Transport. He said adding a toll road could help resolve longstanding issues. Roadwork to resume on Kapiolani Blvd starting Monday "I think it's an excellent idea," Everett said. "We need more funding for lineage signage. We need better brush control. We need some officers on the road checking things out, making people, you know, park correctly instead of right in the middle of the road." The intent is to charge visitors, allowing residents to pass free, something Sniffen said may not be legal. "I'm not sure whether or not that's even possible from a federal perspective," he said. If the bill (SB217) passes, it opens Pandoras proverbial toll box giving DOT authority to toll any state highway in Hawaii including the H1, H2 and H3 in Honolulu. "Before I use that authority on anything, I want to make sure that it makes a lot of sense," he added. That means weighing federal funding options and whether DOT could work with outside partners. Generally speaking, tolls usually pop up in high volume locations. "That would lead to areas that we have the most dependent residents," he explained. Which he said is not the intention of the bill. "The authority and the flexibility is a good thing. It's just difficult for me to see where I would apply it, where would make sense," Sniffen said. Download the free KHON2 app for iOS or Android to stay informed on the latest news SB217 passed its first meeting and is being referred to the Senate Transportation and Culture and Arts (TCA) Committee.