Nimitz Highway pole replacement expected to last into early morning
A Hawaiian Electric Co. repair crew tonight moved back its timetable to replace a damaged power pole in Kalihi after a traffic collision clogged pau hana traffic.
Police re-opened all east-bound lanes and one of three west-bound lanes of Nimitz Highway between Waiakamilo Road and Mokauea Street as the HECO crew continued to dig a new hole, which is expected to take one to two more hours.
Once the pole is ready to be placed, all lanes heading west will be closed, HECO spokeswoman Shannon Tangonan said just after 10:30 p.m.
“You have to be careful of what’s underneath the wiring,” said Tangonan. “You have to be careful of where you’re digging, so you don’t hit anything.”
Both directions of Nimitz Highway between Waiakamilo Road and Mokauea Street initially were closed around 3 p.m. after a vehicle damaged the pole on Nimitz Highway and Kalihi Street.
The accident caused 2,645 customers to lose power, which was restored within half an hour, Tangonan said.
