After more than a decade of bureaucratic snarls and missteps that left Kihei, Maui, with a $245 million public school campus that has stood unused far longer than expected, Kulanihako‘i High School finally will open to students when the school year starts Aug. 7.

The key holdup has been that the state Land Use Commission since 2013 has required the school project to include a “grade-separated crossing” — a pedestrian overpass or underpass — for students to safely get across busy Piilani Highway — but the state Department of Education so far hasn’t built it. DOE officials have publicly admitted to mistakes in failing to comply with the LUC’s requirement.

During a news conference today at the school, Maui Mayor Richard Bissen said that the county has granted a temporary permit of occupancy to allow Kulanihako‘i to begin operations with access only by vehicles, such as cars and buses.

“Our actions today underscore the need for public safety and allow this $245 million state-of-the-art campus to open with a temporary certificate of occupancy, with an indemnification that we received from the state while the overpass recommendation is being pursued by the DOE through the Legislature,” Bissen said.

A permanent permit of occupancy will be granted only after the grade-separated crossing is built, Bissen said. But no timeline was immediately available for construction of an expected overpass.

Teachers will be able to start moving into classrooms on the 77-acre property starting Aug. 1.