Editorial: Plan ahead for crumbling cliffs

Windward Oahu commuters can feel grateful that there were no serious injuries following the rockfalls forcing the extended closure of Pali Highway. They can feel frustrated by the schedule complications and traffic jams resulting from the elimination of one trans-Koolau route, perhaps enlightening them a bit about the burden that travelers on the H-1 corridor face daily.

But everyone also needs to feel a bit worried that erosion is quickening the deterioration of the crumbly volcanic landscape, especially given the unusually persistent and heavy rainfall of recent weeks. Kauai is still recovering from its cataclysmic downpour and landslides last spring.

This very well could become more of a rule than the exception: Climate change, among its other documented effects, has resulted in more extreme conditions, including the levels of rainfall.

It is not only an issue for the state Department of Transportation. As development pressures continue to expand housing along hillsides into valleys, the stability of those hillsides increasingly must factor into planning decisions.

Currently, though, it’s the DOT that has the biggest worry. Highways crews, already with a full plate of emergency repairs, may need more resources for comprehensive surveillance and repairs. That should be underscored in any consideration of budget requests pending before the Legislature this session.

The Pali Highway, dedicated in 1962, is in the midst of a two-year pavement rehabilitation and general improvement program it sorely needs. Attending to the deferred maintenance on Hawaii’s roads has been a critical priority.

In recent years, however, the imperative to address the safety issue of rockslides has increased, with no better illustration of that fact than the conditions on the Pali.

DOT has reacted appropriately by postponing a scheduled reopening of the Kailua-bound lanes so it could work to stabilize the hillside in the immediate zone of the rockfall. Moreover, the Honolulu-bound lanes could be closed for months, requiring a contraflow lane on the Kailua-bound side of the highway.

Consider the officials’ startling observation that “there are several large boulders, some the size of a vehicle, that are at risk of falling onto the Honolulu-bound lanes.”

The Old Pali Road, no longer in use, had been damaged previously but had shifted 18 inches toward the active highway, officials said. So on Wednesday, geotechnical assessments of the slope were to be conducted.

All of this has caused an upheaval in transportation habits for those living on the Windward side of the portals, some circling along the east shoreline on Kalanianaole Highway, but most choosing one of the remaining tunnels to Honolulu: the H-3 and Likelike Highway.

There are now at least some tools to help many commuters with that choice. In its announcement on Tuesday, DOT officials proposed that drivers go online to check GoAkamai.org and to consult traffic apps such as Google Maps and Waze for traffic conditions and real-time indications of the fastest route.

Social media should be tracked, via the DOTHawaii feed for those on Twitter and on the department’s Facebook page (www.facebook.com/HawaiiDepartmentOf Transportation).

For those not smartphone-enabled, DOT has made use of electronic signs that can help alert drivers to alter their route as they drive.

The same advisory goes for other travelers; the wet weather, which thankfully has abated, has led to other highway collisions and tie-ups, islandwide.

Finally, a bit of common sense and personal responsibility can be applied here. This disruption will last for a while, so drivers will need to plan accordingly, leave early and allow enough time so accidents can be avoided.

The reality of living on newer volcanic slopes became frighteningly clear on Hawaii island in 2018. Now Oahu is reminded of the danger as the mountains inexorably wear away.