HANALEI, Kauai >> Since last weekend’s storm, Randall Boyer estimates that he and his dump truck alone have hauled out 35 loads of mud and debris every day to try and clear Kuhio Highway and break through to the isolated communities of Wainiha and Haena, where he grew up.

That’s 6,000 pounds of rock, mud and broken ironwood trees just for one load.

The work is hard and dangerous. On Thursday a different dump truck slid sideways for several uncontrollable yards down the shuttered portion of two-lane Kuhio Highway, which is covered in mud and slippery as an ice rink. Workers said trucks are sliding sideways every day, several times a day.

But the job is also personal for Boyer and others working to clear Kuhio Highway who grew up on “the other side,” the towns cut off from the rest of the island.

Boyer has a message for his family and friends in Wainiha and Haena:

“Hold tight,” he said. “We coming.”

But no one — not even state Department of Transportation officials — can predict when the only road in and out of the area will reopen.

“In addition to landslides, there are two sections of the roadway that actually caved in and are going to need to be repaired,” said DOT spokesman Tim Sakahara. “One is closer to Wainiha and one is closer to Waikoko. That’s more work than just taking debris off. That’s going to need structural repairs.”

The closed portion of Kuhio Highway also was covered by a dozen landslides, Sakahara said.

“There is no definitive timetable at this time that we’re able to provide (for when the road will open). We’re talking about tons and tons and tons and tons of debris,” Sakahara said.

There is also no estimate for how much all of that work will cost. But Sakahara said “it will certainly be in the millions.”

Kuhio Highway remains off- limits just west of Hanalei town. On the other side the road is closed about 500 yards from the Wainiha General Store.

The damaged portion of Kuhio Highway is somewhere between a mile and 2 miles long.

Since Monday workers have carved a muddy and slippery path from Hanalei toward Wainiha.

Surfer Kevin Cox, 26, has been impressed with the progress so far.

As he walked along the Hanalei side of Kuhio Highway carrying his surfboard and muddy slippers — with mud spattered nearly to his knees — Cox said, “They’re killing it. They’re making a lot of progress.”

Every day since last weekend’s storm, crews have been climbing the slippery hillsides directly mauka of the highway to cut down ironwood trees that threaten to trigger even more landslides. On the makai side some of the debris is being used to add landfill and reinforce sections that could further slip away.

All of the work so far isn’t even designed to make Kuhio Highway ready for passenger vehicles. It’s intended to clear just enough space to bring in even more heavy equipment and continue the push toward Wainiha and Haena.

“This work isn’t for normal people,” said Matt Ospenson, a “rock scaler.” “It’s only partially cleared and it’s certainly not passable.”

Ospenson, who lives in Haena, had been working on the Wainiha side of the road to cut through ironwood trees and take out tons of mud and rock.

“We’re talking a lot of big trees,” said Ospenson, who makes his living cutting down big trees. “We’re talking big trees. Huge trees.”

Ospenson said he helped cut the trees into smaller pieces “because they’re so big even the equipment can’t move them.”

John Mundon, a loader operator, paused his work Thursday long enough to consider what all of the long days slogging through Kuhio Highway ultimately will mean for people trapped on the other side.

“I know they suffering. Just trying to help them out,” Mundon said.

Then Mundon caught himself starting to tear up — just a little.

To the people they’re trying to help, Mundon said:

“We almost there. Hang in there.”