Board of Water Supply crews Tuesday morning repaired the 24-inch water main that broke on Kalanianaole Highway early Saturday. Officials expect all eastbound lanes to be open by noon today, the agency said.
The pipe was repaired as of 4:30 a.m., according to BWS. Crews then turned to backfilling the area around the pipe, filling in the excavated area and preparing for paving. Additionally, crews were flushing the line and testing the water.
Officials have implemented a traffic mitigation plan that will allow vehicles traveling eastbound in the afternoon peak hours additional green-light access through the Ainakoa Avenue intersection.
The state Department of Transportation has placed message boards to alert motorists of lane closures and roadwork. Additionally, DOT has suspended all road construction projects on major arteries in East Honolulu and Waimanalo until further notice.
The city Department of Transportation plans to monitor traffic lights and make adjustments as needed.
Crews have been working since Saturday to fix the pipe, which is made of cast iron and was installed in 1969. The broken water main on the highway between Kilauea Avenue and Waikui Street caused gridlock over the weekend. Repairs had been expected to be completed by Thursday.
Big waves in the forecast for 5 islands
A high-surf advisory is in effect for the north and west shores of Oahu, Kauai, Niihau and Molokai and the north shore of Maui, the National Weather Service said.
A northwest swell will boost surf to a range of 16 to 22 feet along north shores, the weather service said. The west shores of Oahu, Kauai, Niihau and Molokai will see surf in the 10- to 14-foot range.
The weather service said the surf will be accompanied by a heavy shorebreak and strong currents, making swimming difficult and dangerous.
The advisory is set to expire at 6 a.m. Thursday but could be extended.
LANAI
Electric power restored to the residents after storm
Power was restored to all 1,700 Lanai residents Tuesday after a weekend windstorm.
The 1,575 residents of Lanai City got electricity back early Tuesday morning and the 125 residents in Manele in the afternoon, according to Maui Electric.
High wind damaged 19 utility poles on the island over the weekend. Repairs involved replacing all the poles, resetting new poles and restringing about a mile of lines along Kaumalapau Highway to Miki Basin and across to Manele Bay.
MAUI
Search finds no sign of visitor swept off rocks
A 34-year-old Utah man was still missing a day after being swept into the ocean off Kahakuloa.
The visitor and a 23-year-old Connecticut man had been spotted Monday standing on a rock near the water’s edge taking photos with two women at Olivine Pools, near milepost 16 on Kahekili Highway. At about 1:40 p.m. a wave knocked the men into the water, and a second wave dragged the two women across the rocks.
Witnesses had spotted the Utah man in the water but then lost sight of him.
The Connecticut man was rescued at 2:13 p.m. He was treated for cuts and flown in stable condition to Maui Memorial Medical Center.
The two women, a 19-year-old from Mexico and a 20-year-old from Austria, sustained minor abrasions and were treated at the scene.
The search for the Utah man resumed Tuesday.
Maui County deployed a helicopter and ground crew around 7 a.m., according to Fire Services Chief Edward Taomoto. The Coast Guard dispatched an MH-65 Dolphin helicopter and an HC-130 Hercules airplane as well as a patrol boat.
