Overnight closures for Kuhio Highway bridge work have left some tourists stranded; now North Shore Kauai residents and tourism officials are ramping up efforts to ensure visitors are aware of the state’s construction schedules.
Normally, there’s only one way in and out for drivers who want to see popular Kauai attractions like Haena State Park, Kee Beach and Na Pali Coast Trail at the end of Kuhio Highway. But lately, there are times at night when overnight construction has completely blocked vehicle access into or out of the region.
The state Department of Transportation has placed signs along Kuhio Highway informing motorists of closures. But they’ve been missed by some tourists, who either didn’t see them or couldn’t read them.
“I had a report following the July 2 and July 3 overnight bridge closures that people did get stranded and had to be shuttled to their hotels in Kapaa, Lihue and Poipu. They had to come back and get their cars the next day,” said Sue Kanoho, executive director of the Kauai Visitors Bureau.
Joel Guy, Hanalei Initiative, said closures July 13-14 also caused some people to get stuck. Still, he said has been pleased by the infrequency of the strandings.
“We were fearful that it would be a bigger deal. The communication plan from the state Department of Transportation is improving. It’s gotten better every time that we’ve gotten in trouble,” Guy said. “Of course, if you are a visitor and need to catch a plane, you could be in a real pinch.”
That’s why state agencies, tourism officials and local organizations are stepping up efforts to inform the public about the planned night closures along Kuhio Highway in August. Night work on Waikoko and Waipa bridges is scheduled for 7:30 p.m. to 5 a.m. Aug. 5 to 8. Work on Waioli Bridge means another 7:30 p.m.-5 a.m. closure will take place Aug. 12 to 15.
During the closures there will be no vehicular access to the highway. However,
pedestrian access, park-and-ride facilities and a shuttle will be provided for residents and authorized vacation rental guests. Go online to 808ne.ws/KuhioHighwayupdates for the latest information.
DOT has pushed out informational flyers, posted updates to its website and distributed media releases. Kanoho said the Hawaii Visitors and Convention Bureau and Kauai Visitors Bureau also have sent flyers to their members and plan to do another update covering upcoming closures. They also did Facebook and Instagram social media campaigns about the closures.
“It’s going to take all of us working together to ensure that our visitors know about upcoming closures regardless of where they are staying,” Kanoho said. “We continue to meet and hold conference calls every week with stakeholders. It’s getting better.”
These latest growing pains are hardly the worst struggles that the community has gone through since flooding April 14-15, 2018, produced approximately 50 inches of rain in a 24-hour period. Severe flooding caused landslides and left Kuhio Highway with some 32 emergency repair sites. Ensuing roadwork closed a 2-mile stretch of Kauai’s north shore beyond Waikoko from the rest of the island to nonlocal traffic, and essential personnel, for more than a year.
The state’s June 17 reopening of Kuhio Highway restored access to some of the Garden Isle’s most popular tourist attractions under new tourism management guidelines. A new Haena State Park Master Plan limits visitation to 900 people a day from an estimated 3,000 daily before the road closed in April 2018; there are also new parking restrictions, and other measures meant to control the anticipated heavy influx have been put into place.
But the timing of the reopening was controversial because repair work had not yet been completed on three bridges at Waioli, Waipa and Waikoko streams. On June 18 protesters climbed onto visitors’ cars to block the entrance to Haena State Park and other community natural resources and popular attractions. Some residents who had gotten used to a nearly tourism-free existence were irked by speeding cars, tourists hogging one-lane bridges and parking illegally, and by seeing visitors walking on reefs.
The good news is that with time the new tourism management plans appear to be alleviating some of the strain of over-tourism felt by the community before the flood-related closures provided a chance to start over, said Chipper Wichman, a longtime Haena
resident and president of the National Tropical Botanical Garden, which includes Limahuli Garden &Preserve.
“The whole paradigm shift for Haena has been phenomenal,” Wichman said. “It’s feeling so much better than it was prior to the flood.”
“It’s been amazing not having cars parked all along the front of our house. The combination of the no-parking zones and the start of a new shuttle has really created a much more sustainable situation for our residents,” Wichman added.
Guy said there has been strong visitor demand for the Hanalei Initiative’s shuttle service, which was timed to the reopening of the region.
“The shuttle is packed, ” he said. “We’re bringing in 200 a day and trying to increase that by another 100. I don’t think Haena State Park is at their 900 limit yet.”
Wainiha resident Juliet Akana said ensuring that tourism efforts funnel tourists to attractions that are set up to accommodate them remains a lingering concern for her rural community.
“If they can’t get parking at Kee or Haena State Park, they flow into spots at Haena, Lumihai and Wainiha. Some of our beaches there can be dangerous for tourists. Right now it’s summertime so they are like, ‘Yippee,’ but come fall the waves kick up and it can get rough.”
