LIHU‘E — The state Department of Transportation announced that two lanes of traffic on Kuhio Highway will flow in and out of Hanalei starting Saturday, Sept. 4 at 5:30 p.m.
LIHU‘E — The state Department of Transportation announced that two lanes of traffic on Kuhio Highway will flow in and out of Hanalei starting Saturday, Sept. 4 at 5:30 p.m.
The updated schedule will be: Monday through Saturday, two lanes open (one in each direction) until 6:59 a.m.; single-lane alternating traffic (guided by a pilot vehicle) between 7 a.m. and 5:30 p.m.; two lanes open (one in each direction) after 5:31 p.m.
On Sundays and state holidays, two lanes will be open (one in each direction) all day.
The increase in access marks the wind down of the emergency phase of construction, which is anticipated to be completed by the end of September or early October, weather permitting, according to the DOT.
Since March, this work has
consisted of clearing a substantial amount of dirt and debris, drilling and grouting over 500 soil nails into the hillside for greater stability, and performing road-resurfacing work below the slope.
The final tasks of this phase include concrete and drainage preparations on the 19th-century water tunnel located mid-slope. Additional slope-stabilization work is expected to start early January 2022.
The DOT said in a release it appreciates the continued patience of the Hanalei, Wainiha and Ha‘ena communities during the emergency slope-stabilization and landslide response.
Continued updates on the Hanalei Hill landslide project can be found at hidot.hawaii.gov/2021-hanalei-hill-landslide/.
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Laurel Smith, staff writer and photographer, can be reached at 245-0424 or lsmith@thegardenisland.com.
