Daytime closures on Kūhiō Highway for road construction begin Oct. 24

The Hawaiʻi Department of Transportation on Monday will begin daytime closures on Kūhiō Highway between Kuamoʻo Road and the Temporary Kapaʻa Bypass Road for the Kūhiō Highway short-term improvements project.

The shift to daywork is due to the start of seabird fallout season, when young birds leaving the nest for the first time to go to the sea to feed can become disoriented by artificial light. More information on seabird fallout is available at https://dlnr.hawaii.gov/wildlife/seabird-fallout-season/

Daytime work is scheduled between the hours of 8:30 a.m. and 3:30 p.m. and has been organized into three northbound phases and two southbound phases.

Here are the phases:

• Northbound Phase 1 (Oct. 24 and 25) – Northbound lanes of Kūhiō Highway between Kuamoʻo Road and Haleilio Road will be closed. One southbound lane will be contraflowed for drivers heading north. All northbound from Kuamoʻo and Haleilio shall be detoured south to Wailua Bridge and merge with the northbound traffic.

• Northbound Phase 2 (Oct. 26-28 and Oct. 31) – Northbound traffic will be detoured to Papaloa Road (single lane road). Drivers heading to Haleilio Road will be detoured via Papaloa Road and Lanikai Street and Kūhiō Highway. Lanikai Street will be contraflowed and Papaloa Road south/west bound will be local traffic only between Lanikai Street and the southern intersection with Kūhiō Highway. All northbound from Kuamoʻo and Haleilio shall be detoured south to Wailua Bridge and merge with the northbound traffic.

• Northbound Phase 3 (Nov. 1-4 and Nov. 7-11) – Northbound Kūhiō Highway and Haleilio Road detour will remain the same as Phase 2. Papaloa Road south/west bound will be local traffic only between Lanikai Street and the southern intersection with Kūhiō Highway. Lanikai Street will be restored to two lanes. All northbound from Kuamoʻo and Haleilio shall be detoured south to Wailua Bridge and merge with the northbound traffic.

• Southbound Phase 1 (Nov. 11 and Nov. 14-17) – Southbound traffic between Haleilio Road and Kuamoʻo Road will be contraflowed in one of the northbound lanes on Kūhiō Highway. Papaloa Road south/west bound will be local traffic only between Lanikai Street and the southern intersection with Kūhiō Highway. Haleilio Road and Kuamoʻo Road connections to Kuhio Highway will be modified. All northbound from Kuamoʻo and Haleilio shall be detoured south to Wailua Bridge and merge with the northbound traffic.

• Southbound Phase 2 (Nov. 21-23) – Southbound traffic between Haleilio Road and Kapaʻa Bypass will be contraflowed in one of the northbound lanes on Kūhiō Highway. Northbound traffic will be detoured to Papaloa Road (single lane road). Drivers heading to Haleilio Road will be detoured via Papaloa Road and Lanikai Street and Kūhiō Highway. Papaloa Road south/west bound will be local traffic only between Lanikai Street and the southern intersection with Kūhiō Highway. Work will take place on the other half of the Haleilio Road and Kapaʻa Bypass connections to Kūhiō Highway.  All northbound from Kuamoʻo and Haleilio shall be detoured south to Wailua Bridge and merge with the northbound traffic

Please note that dates for each phase are estimated and dependent on production and weather. Weekly updates on scheduled roadwork will be provided.

During this time the Kūhiō Highway southbound contraflow between the Kapaʻa Temporary Bypass Road and Kapule Highway will be setup with the first cone down at 4:15 a.m. as normal.

When the daywork begins at 8 a.m., the contraflow lane will be picked up between the Temporary Kapaʻa Bypass and Wailua Bridge. Contraflow south of the bridge will be picked up at the scheduled time of 11 a.m. Monday through Friday. There will be no change to the Saturday contraflow hours.

There will be traffic control flaggers at the start and end of the detours and at all intersections within the work zone. The Department of Transportation may modify the traffic control plan based on impacts to the traveling public.

Construction for the Kūhiō Highway short-term improvements began on March 1, 2021, and is anticipated to be substantially complete by May 2023. The project is designed to improve traffic congestion on Kūhiō Highway through Kapaʻa-Wailua corridor by adding an additional southbound lane between Kuamoʻo Road and the Temporary Kapaʻa Bypass Road.