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CRAIG GIMA / CGIMA@STARADVERTISER.COM
Traffic backed up in the ewa direction beyond the School Street offramp Saturday evening as work on the H-1 freeway rehabilitation project closed the right lane of the freeway through Kalihi.
The state Department of Transportation has adjusted its lane closure schedule to reduce traffic backups on the H-1 freeway this weekend.
The scheduled westbound H-1 right lane closure from the Houghtailing Street offramp (Exit 20B) to the Gulick Overpass will be canceled for Sunday, according to department spokeswoman Caroline Sluyter.
Work to demolish and rebuild a freeway wall is anticipated to be completed by 9 p.m. Saturday. However, if crews finish early the lane will be opened sooner, Sluyter said.
For Sunday, crews will be working in this area in the shoulder lane only. The right lane closure was originally scheduled to run until 5 a.m. Monday.
The lane closure backed up traffic in the ewa direction on the H-1 freeway through Kalihi Saturday.
All other previously scheduled ramp closures will remain the same, including the Kalihi Street offramp (Exit 20A), Kalihi Street onramp, Liliha Street onramp and Pali Highway offramp (Exit 21A) until 8 a.m. Sunday.
Ramp closures will occur at the Kalihi Street (Likelike Highway) on- and offramps, along with lane closures on the Kalihi Street overpass, from 7 a.m. to 5 p.m. Sunday. During these hours, the H-1 eastbound Liliha Street onramp and the Pali Highway offramp (Exit 21A) will also be closed.
Full westbound closures and partial eastbound closures will resume from the vicinity of Middle Street to Ward Avenue Sunday through Friday from 8 p.m. to 5 a.m. nightly.
Beginning 9 a.m. Monday, the H-1 westbound onramp from Kalihi Street (Likelike Highway) will be closed daily through Friday, July 25, except during morning rush-hours from 5 a.m. to 9 a.m. weekdays. If work is completed sooner, the lane closures will be reduced.
Motorists who want to access the H-1 or H-201 freeways westbound are advised to use North School Street to the next available onramps on Middle Street.
This part of the H-1 Freeway Rehab Project is one of the oldest sections of the freeway through the Honolulu corridor that averages up to 200,000 vehicles a day.
Officials say the construction work will provide a durable smooth surface, upgraded lighting and drainage, median glare screens and increased traffic capacity with the addition of a fourth lane in each direction through widening and restriping. The department is aiming to complete the project by July 31.
