Bicyclist struck and killed while making U-turn on highway

A 73-year-old visitor from Texas died Thursday after he was struck by an oncoming car while trying to make a U-turn on a bicycle on Queen Kaahumanu Highway.

He was identified as Roy Johnson.

Police said he was heading north on the shoulder of the highway, near the 85-mile marker, when he turned directly in front of a Nissan sedan operated by a 30-year-old visitor from the Czech Republic who was also traveling north.

Johnson died at the scene. The driver of the sedan was not injured.

The Traffic Enforcement Unit has initiated a coroner’s inquest investigation and ordered an autopsy.

Anyone who witnessed the collision is asked to contact Officer Kimo Keliipaakaua at 326-4646, ext. 229.

Road opens after accident, drivers warned of construction

Hawaii island police reopened Queen Kaahumanu Highway near mile marker 85 after a fatal crash Thursday morning.

The crash occurred sometime before 7:45 a.m., and the highway reopened to all traffic around 10 a.m.

The mile marker is near the Four Seasons Resort Hualalai.

Additionally, a highway widening project was scheduled to start at 8:30 p.m. Thursday, and access to Hina Lani Street from Queen Kaahumanu Highway will be closed to motorists, bicyclists and pedestrians, according to state officials. The closure near Koloko-Honokohau National Historical Park will be in place until 6 a.m. today.

Access to Hina Lani Street will be via Ane Keohokalole Highway and Kealakehe Parkway.