HONOLULU – The Hawai‘i Department of Transportation (HDOT) is updating on the closure of the town-bound lanes of Pali Highway (Route 61) from the highway’s intersection with Kamehameha Highway (Castle Junction) to the vicinity of Nuʻuanu Pali Drive. The town-bound lanes were closed Wednesday, Dec. 20 in response to a landslide approximately 100-yards outside the 2nd tunnel.
The closure will continue through Friday, Dec. 22 and may continue through the weekend. Crews have been conducting vegetation removal today and will continue hauling away the landslide and vegetation debris through Friday. Intermittent closures lasting no more than 30 minutes at a time may be needed of a single lane on the Kailua-bound side of Pali Highway to aid in the safe and efficient removal of debris.
HDOT was able to inspect the drainage ditch above the hillside and found it to be in good condition. Additional inspections once the vegetation is removed is needed before HDOT can clear the town-bound lanes to open.
Highway users are encouraged to use Likelike Highway or the H-3 Freeway to travel between the windward side and Honolulu until further notice.
Photos of the ditch and workers at the site from today follow:
https://hidot.hawaii.gov/highways/files/2023/12/JVAO6733-scaled.jpg
https://hidot.hawaii.gov/highways/files/2023/12/IMG_2358-scaled.jpg
https://hidot.hawaii.gov/highways/files/2023/12/IMG_2357-scaled.jpg
https://hidot.hawaii.gov/highways/files/2023/12/IMG_2354-scaled.jpg
https://hidot.hawaii.gov/highways/files/2023/12/IMG_2353-scaled.jpg
https://hidot.hawaii.gov/highways/files/2023/12/IMG_2352-scaled.jpg
https://hidot.hawaii.gov/highways/files/2023/12/IMG_2351-scaled.jpg
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