Kiʻonaʻole Road in Kāneʻohe has reopened

HONOLULU - The Hawai'i Department of Transportation (HDOT) notifies drivers that Kiʻonaʻole Road has reopened to all motorists while repair work continues.

To expedite repair work, daytime and nighttime work hours from Monday to Sunday will continue along the Kamehameha Highway on-ramp to the westbound H-3 freeway as well as along Kiʻonaʻole Road. Daytime work hours are from 6:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. Nighttime work hours are from 5 p.m. to 3:30 a.m. the following day.

Traffic on Kiʻonaʻole Road may be intermittently contraflowed in both directions with the assistance of flaggers as needed during work hours. This may occur during work activities such as the installation and removal of concrete channel wall forms and concrete pours for the formed channel wall.

With the reopening of Kiʻonaʻole Road on August 17, the detour route through Hoʻomaluhia Botanical Garden is no longer in use as of Monday, Aug. 23. Emergency work and detour of the southbound Kamehameha Highway on-ramp to the westbound H-3 Freeway remains in effect 24 hours a day, seven days a week, as crews work on culvert repairs along the ramp.

To access the westbound H-3 Freeway via the southbound lanes of Kamehameha Highway, motorists will be detoured toward Halekou Interchange to make a U-turn using the left lane turning into the eastbound H-3 Freeway on-ramp. Once on the northbound side of Kamehameha Highway, they may use the right lane to enter the westbound H-3 Freeway on-ramp. Motorists may also utilize alternate routes on Likelike Highway to access the westbound H-3 Freeway.

Kona Lows and heavy rain events during March and April 2026 caused the failure of an underground culvert at the Halekou Interchange along Kiʻonaʻole Road, resulting in the loss of structural support for the roadway, slope stability and the embankment, exposing sections of the culvert.

Repair efforts began the evening of Monday, April 20, along Kiʻonaʻole Road and Monday, June 15, along the Kamehameha Highway on-ramp. The scope of work includes demolition and removal of the old roadway and culverts, excavation of a new concrete line drainage channel and reinforced box culverts, slope stabilization measures, removal of debris and brush in existing drainage channel, temporary and permanent utility relocations, roadway reconstruction and other activities required to complete this project.

The Kamehameha Highway on-ramp to westbound H-3 is anticipated to reopen in mid-October 2026, updated from the previous estimate of August 2026. The overall completion of repairs is estimated for December 2026. This is updated from previously estimated November 2026. Please note all work is weather permitting. The final completion date of this work is subject to change, per these conditions.

Special duty police officers will be on-site to assist with traffic control and safety procedures as needed. Electronic message boards will be posted to notify motorists of any roadway closure information.

For a full list of lane closures scheduled on state roadways, please visit the HDOT website at https://hidot.hawaii.gov/highways/roadwork/.

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