Town-bound Pali Highway traffic to be contraflowed as hillside work likely to take months
COURTESY HAWAII DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION
A photo provided by the state shows more debris fell onto the Honolulu-bound lanes of Pali Highway overnight.
CRAIG T. KOJIMA / CKOJIMA@STARADVERTISER.COM
Traffic was backed up this morning at the Likelike/H-1 interchange.
COURTESY HAWAII DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION
Officials said crews are continuing slope stabilization work following multiple landslides that occurred Monday, prompting the closure of the Pali Highway.
COURTESY HAWAII DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION
The Pali Highway in the Kailua bound direction will not be opened Wednesday due to safety concerns. Crews must remove a dangling chunk of concrete from Old Pali Road before traffic can safely travel below.
UPDATE: 4 p.m.
Honolulu-bound traffic on the Pali Highway will be contraflowed into the Kailua-bound lanes for the weekday morning commute starting Thursday, state Department of Transportation officials said today, adding that the road would be affected for months as they make repairs.
The morning contraflow for town-bound commuters will go from 5 a.m. to 9 a.m., with no lanes for Kailua-bound traffic. From 3 p.m. to 7 p.m., the Kailua-bound lanes will be used for Windward-bound traffic only.
Otherwise, the highway will be closed as crews work to stabilize the slopes around the Pali Tunnel, said Ed Sniffen, state Department of Transportation deputy director for highways.
To help ease congestion from the Pali Highway closure, HDOT and the City’s Department of Facility Maintenance will extend Kalanianaole Highway’s morning HOV contraflow lanes until 9 a.m.
Sniffen said the work to stabilize the Pali could continue for months.
The problem started Monday after multiple landslides closed the highway in both directions.
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Large pieces of debris and concrete fell onto the Honolulu-bound lane of the Pali Highway overnight, Hawaii Department of Transportation officials said today.
Transportation officials said early this afternoon that they were scrapping plans to temporarily open the Kailua-bound direction from 3 to 7 p.m. today.
In a 12:56 p.m. DOT tweet from DOT, officials cited safety concerns, saying “Crews must remove a dangling chunk of concrete from Old Pali Road before traffic can safely travel below. We are working on opening tomorrow.”
#hitraffic #Pali update: The Pali Hwy in the Kailua bound direction will not be opened this afternoon (2/20/19) due to safety concerns. Crews must remove a dangling chunk of concrete from Old Pali Road before traffic can safely travel below. We are working on opening tomorrow. pic.twitter.com/guNYyeKsS3
— Hawaii DOT (@DOTHawaii) February 20, 2019
Officials said crews are continuing slope stabilization work following multiple landslides that occurred Monday, prompting the closure of the Pali Highway.
The closure has caused major traffic congestion — exacerbated by an early-morning accident on the Likelike Highway — during today’s morning commute.
On Monday, one landslide had occurred in the Kailua-bound direction after the second tunnel and another landslide occurred between the two tunnels in the Honolulu-bound direction.
Some pieces that include a girder on the Old Pali Road are dangling over the Honolulu-bound direction of the highway. “Things are still shifting and moving down there,” said Tim Sakahara, spokesman of the Hawaii Department of Transportation.
Sakahara said crews will continue slope stabilization work throughout the day.
The transportation department announced Tuesday that the Honolulu-bound direction is anticipated to closed through Monday.
Sakahara said today that they are working on opening a Honolulu-bound contraflow lane for the morning commute utilizing a Kailua-bound lane. Officials are figuring out a crossover point that could safely make that happen.
Motorists are advised to check the GoAkamai.org or any traffic app for up-to-date traffic conditions.
