Half of H-3 to be closed during weekend

The Honolulu-bound lanes of the H-3 freeway will be shut down Friday night through early Monday morning so crews can replace a key component that runs the length of that side of the roadway, transportation officials say.

The closure will start 9 p.m. Friday, and the town-bound lanes will reopen at 4 a.m. Monday, according to a state Department of Transportation news release.

The closure will enable crews to replace what’s called an "expansion" joint — points along the viaduct that allow for the concrete to naturally expand and contract due to swings in temperature, the release stated.

Drivers are encouraged to use Pali and Likelike highways as alternate routes, give themselves more time for the commute and expect delays because of the work.

NEIGHBOR ISLANDS

Pair injured in pickup crash

A pickup truck overturned on Maunaloa Highway on Molokai on Thursday morning, injuring the two occupants, one of them critically, Maui police said.

The accident happened just east of Kaluakoi Road in Mauna Loa at 6:39 a.m. 

Police said a preliminary investigation indicates the vehicle was traveling east on Maunaloa Highway, went left of center and struck the guardrail on the north shoulder of the roadway. The pickup continued in a southeasterly direction to the south shoulder of the roadway and climbed an embankment, which caused the vehicle to flip onto its roof, pinning the two occupants.

The passenger, an 86-year-old male resident of Kaluakoi, was flown by medevac to Maui Memorial Medical Center, where he is listed in critical condition. The driver, an 86-year-old female resident of Kaluakoi, was transported to Molokai General Hospital in stable condition and then airlifted to the Queen’s Medical Center.

Kauai residents lose electricity

Kauai’s utility restored power to all of its customers after an islandwide blackout Thursday.

Kauai Island Utility Cooperative spokeswoman Shelley Paik said power went out starting shortly before 10 a.m. The outage was triggered when the utility lost its second largest generator. The outage then spread around the island. 

Power was restored to all 30,000 cooperative customers by 11:51 a.m.

The generator at Port Allen on Kauai’s west side went offline when a fuel valve failed.