Culvert repairs continue on Kiʻonaʻole Road for storm recovery work

Kamehameha Highway On-Ramp to the Westbound H-3 Freeway will be Closed for Repairs, Beginning in Mid-July

HONOLULU - The Hawai'i Department of Transportation (HDOT) notifies drivers of the continued full closure and detour of Kiʻonaʻole Road, as well as night work for culvert and drainage repairs along the roadway.

Due to the discovery of unforeseen utilities through the work area, work is taking longer than anticipated along Kiʻonaʻole Road. The utilities are to be relocated pending approval, which is anticipated to begin later in the week, on the week of Monday, May 25.

Daytime and nighttime work hours continue, from Monday to Sunday, to expedite this repair work. Daytime 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.

Kona Lows and heavy rain events during March/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, as crews began to demolish and remove the old roadway and culverts. The scope of the work also includes excavation of a new concrete line drainage channel and reinforced box drain, slope stabilization measures, removal of debris and brush in existing drainage channel, roadway reconstruction, etc.

Outside of work hours, the full closure and detour will remain in effect. For access to Koʻolau Ballrooms along Kiʻonaʻole Road, motorists will be detoured via Luluku Road, where they may continue on through Hoʻomaluhia Botanical Garden on Hoʻomaluhia Private Road/Park Access Road, to reach Kiʻonaʻole Road at the H-3 Freeway overpass.

In mid-July, the Kamehameha Highway on-ramp to the westbound H-3 Freeway will be closed 24 hours a day, seven days a week as crews work on repairs along the ramp. This work is anticipated to take six weeks. To access the westbound H-3 Freeway, motorists will be detoured via Pali-bound Kamehameha Highway to make a U-turn along the Halekou interchange, at the signalized intersection of the eastbound H-3 Freeway on-ramp, where they may continue on Kāneʻohe-bound Kamehameha Highway to the westbound H-3 Freeway on-ramp.

The Kamehameha Highway on-ramp is anticipated to reopen in mid-August 2026. Local access on Kiʻonaʻole Road is anticipated for mid-July 2026. The overall completion of repairs is estimated for November 2026; this is updated from previously estimated August 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. Electronic message boards will be posted to notify motorists of 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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