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Access to Kauai’s north shore is expected to be restored May 1 when the state Department of Transportation reopens a stretch of Kuhio Highway that has been closed for nearly a year.
Flooding on April 14-15 produced approximately
50 inches of rain in a
24-hour period, causing landslides that left a portion of Kuhio Highway with
32 emergency repair sites. Ensuing roadwork cut off Kauai’s north shore from the rest of the island, closing Lumahai, Wainiha and Haena to most outsiders.
State DOT spokeswoman Shelly Kunishige confirmed Tuesday that DOT is “on schedule to complete the work necessary to return the route to better than pre-disaster conditions by May 1.”
Kunishige said DOT won’t reopen the highway until “paving, guardrail, and other safety features
necessary for safe vehicular travel are in place.”
However, the highway is slated to reopen before work is completed at the Waioli, the Waipa and Waikoko stream bridges, she said.
“We will implement traffic control for the bridge rehabilitation and replacements as we do on similar construction projects statewide,” she said.
Many who lost revenue from the restricted access have been clamoring to reopen the portion of Kuhio Highway, but others don’t want it reopened until
work on the bridges is complete.
Kunishige said DOT understands the community’s concerns, but the state “cannot keep the route closed or limit access to motorists for reasons other than safety.”
“Continuing to restrict
access after the emergency repairs to Kuhio Highway are completed could impact the eligibility of the repairs for the (Federal Highway Administration’s Emergency Relief) program that provided the majority of the $77 million in funding needed to repair the route,” she said.
