Department of Transportation

LIHUE – The Hawaii Department of Transportation (HDOT) will begin daytime closures on Kuhio Highway between Kuamoo Road and the Temporary Kapaa Bypass Road for the Kuhio Highway Short-Term Improvements project on Monday, Oct. 24.

The shift to daywork is due to the start of seabird fallout season. 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. Descriptions of the lane closures needed for the different phases follows:

• Northbound Phase 1 (Oct. 24 and 25) – Northbound lanes of Kuhio Highway between Kuamoo Road and Haleilio Road will be closed. One southbound lane will be contraflowed for drivers heading north. All northbound from Kuamoo 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 Kuhio 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 Kuhio Highway. All northbound from Kuamoo and Haleilio shall be detoured south to Wailua Bridge and merge with the northbound traffic
• Northbound Phase 3 (Nov. 1-4, Nov. 7-11) – Northbound Kuhio 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 Kuhio Highway. Lanikai Street will be restored to two lanes. All northbound from Kuamoo and Haleilio shall be detoured south to Wailua Bridge and merge with the northbound traffic
• Southbound Phase 1 (Nov. 11, Nov. 14-17) – Southbound traffic between Haleilio Road and Kuamoo Road will be contraflowed in one of the northbound lanes on Kuhio Highway. Papaloa Road south/west bound will be local traffic only between Lanikai Street and the southern intersection with Kuhio Highway. Haleilio Road and Kuamoo Road connections to Kuhio Highway will be modified. All northbound from Kuamoo 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 Kapaa Bypass will be contraflowed in one of the northbound lanes on Kuhio 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 Kuhio Highway. Papaloa Road south/west bound will be local traffic only between Lanikai Street and the southern intersection with Kuhio Highway. Work will take place on the other half of the Haleilio Road and Kapaa Bypass connections to Kuhio Highway.  All northbound from Kuamoo 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 in HDOT’s Friday lane closure notices.

During this time the Kuhio Highway southbound contraflow between the Kapaa Temporary Bypass Road and Kapule Highway will be setup with the first cone down at 4:15 a.m. as normal. When daywork begins at 8 a.m., the contraflow lane will be picked up between the Temporary Kapaa 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. HDOT may modify the traffic control plan based on impacts to the traveling public.

Construction for the Kuhio Highway Short-Term Improvements began on March 1, 2021, and is anticipated to be substantially complete by May 2023. The Kuhio Highway Short-Term Improvements Project is designed to improve traffic congestion on Kuhio Highway through Kapaa-Wailua corridor by adding an additional southbound lane between Kuamoo Road and the Temporary Kapaa Bypass Road.

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