Pali reopens as work finishes ahead of schedule

Hillside repair work on the Pali Highway went faster than anticipated, and the highway will not have to be closed all next week as originally scheduled, the state Department of Transportation said today.

The road reopened at 5:40 p.m., police said.

The Pali Highway originally was going to be shut down from 8 p.m. Friday to 3 a.m. tomorrow.  

The Kailua-bound lanes would then be closed Monday through Friday from 8:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. 

Following a Feb. 28 landslide, workers from general contractor Goodfellow Bros., Inc. began removing 1,300 cubic yards of dirt, rocks and vegetation and were scheduled to complete the work by this Friday.

Crews have been climbing the hillside to remove debris round-the-clock, Meisenzahl said, and the site’s foreman hasn’t slept since Friday.

The highway had been closed to general traffic, except for city buses and emergency vehicles.

Meisenzahl apologized for the inconvenience.

“It’s a beautiful, sunny day and a lot of people would like to hit the beach,” he said.