Repair work for lava-covered Big Isle highway on schedule
Work to restore the lava-covered Highway 137 on Hawaii island remains on schedule, despite a minor snag.
The work is still on track to be completed by March 2026, Hawaii County Department of Public Works spokeswoman Sherise Kanae-Kane said last week at the first of a planned series of monthly community briefings about the ongoing project to reopen a 3.64-mile stretch of Highway 137 in Lower Puna.
This progress is despite complications discovered by contractor Isemoto Contracting Co.
Public Works Project Manager Alex Kalawe said a preliminary site investigation found a discrepancy between plans drawn up for the project and the reality of the site.
While Kalawe did not go into detail about the nature of the discrepancy, he said he believes it should be resolved within a month, and any impacts on the timeline will be determined depending on that resolution.
The scope of the project remains the same: clearing the highway at the “Four Corners” intersection with Highway 132, where it was inundated with lava during the 2018 Kilauea eruption. Crews will grade existing lava rock and install new pavement and a new 6-inch waterline.
The project officially began Sept. 24 with a blessing ceremony. Its total price tag is $17.8 million, most of which will be borne by the Federal Emergency Management Agency, with the county providing $4.45 million.
This construction on Highway 137 is the first of four segments of road restoration projects DPW has planned for the area.
The next will restore roads and waterlines on Upper and Lower Pohoiki Road. Kanae-Kane said bids for that project will open Dec. 12.
The third and fourth phases are still in the design phase and will respectively restore a segment of Highway 137 from Pohoiki Road to MacKenzie State Recreation area, and a segment of Lighthouse Road.
Kanae-Kane said DPW will host monthly online meetings to update the public about the progress of construction every third Friday until it is complete or until the department deems them unnecessary.
The next meeting scheduled will take place Dec. 20, and the final meeting scheduled is on July 18.