UPDATE 7 p.m.

The state Department of Transportation has filled in the eroded section of Kamehameha Highway in Hauula that collapsed Tuesday, and while a short-term project to ensure the integrity of the road will start later this month, a long-term plan for the ongoing ocean erosion of the highway has yet to be decided on.

Ed Sniffen, director of the state DOT, said in a news conference Tuesday that the department was notified about the sink hole at about noon.

When DOT crews arrived a sewer truck that had gotten stuck in the sink hole was removed with the help of community members.

The sink hole, which Sniffen said was 30 feet long, 2 feet wide and 2 feet deep, only impacted the shoulder of the highway and was the result of the ocean erosion underneath the shoulder.

The eroded section has been filled with gravel, and crews will come back tomorrow to finish up repair work.

A $500,000, six-month project to fix the section of the highway for five to 10 years will begin later this month, Sniffen said.

The project will “replace all of that older revetment from where this incident occurred throughout all the areas where we have those bags that are protecting the slopes,” he said.

“It’s going to take six months to remove all those bags of rock and replace it will boulders and cobble,” Sniffen added.

He said that there still needs to be consultation with the community and other government entities before any long-term plan can be decided on, but floated a $1.5 billion plan to raise or move the 10-mile section the highway and other infrastructure between Hauula and Kaaawa away from the ocean.

He said there isn’t yet a timeline for when the a permanent solution, although did say there is urgency to do so.

“Our roadway is going to be underwater by 2100, just based on the state’s predictions of sea level rise,” Sniffen said. “The road is there to service that community, but if that road is inundated, we have to assume the community will be inundated as well. So, if we don’t take actions now to protect the community there, then the road won’t be necessary if the community’s not there.”

4 p.m.

The northbound lane of Kamehameha Highway in Hauula has reopened, according to Honolulu police.

A truck that reportedly got stuck when a portion of the lane collapsed this morning has been towed.

PREVIOUS COVERAGE

Honolulu police have closed the Kahuku-bound lane of Kamehameha Highway in Hauula after a portion of the road reportedly collapsed.

Crews from the Hawaii Department of Transportation are responding.

The affected lane is on the highway after Pokiwai Place, according to DOT spokesman Jai Cunningham.

Traffic is being contraflowed in the area.

This is a breaking news story that will be updated when additional information becomes available.