HEI - Hawaiian Electric Industries Inc.
07/15/2026 | Press release | Distributed by Public on 07/15/2026 12:53
3-year wildfire safety project along Leeward Coast to replace 100-plus utility poles starting in late July
3-year wildfire safety project along Leeward Coast to replace 100-plus utility poles starting in late July
- Up to 30 poles in Makaha along Farrington Highway targeted for 2026 upgrades
- Critical Pole Hardening Program taking place on Oahu, Maui, Hawaii Island
Release Date: 7/15/2026
HONOLULU, July 15, 2026 - Hawaiian Electric is launching a 3-year project to replace aging wooden utility poles in West Oahu - mainly along the Farrington Highway corridor - to enhance safety in areas at high risk for wildfires. The Critical Pole Hardening Program will start in late July with crews replacing about a dozen utility poles in Makaha.
Seven utility poles in Makaha are scheduled to be replaced starting in the last week of July; no lane closures are needed for this work. The next five pole replacements are expected to start in October along Farrington Highway, requiring partial lane closures. Traffic advisories will be issued ahead of any planned road closures. Additional poles may be replaced by the end of the year as permitting allows.
The Critical Pole Hardening Program - taking place on Maui, Oahu and Hawaii Island - includes replacing wooden poles with stronger, more resilient materials such as fiberglass and steel. Crews also will upgrade structural components to better withstand hurricane-force winds and challenging terrain.
"It's our kuleana to ensure that our island grids are resilient and support important ingress and egress routes in areas at high risk for wildfires," said Marc Asano, Hawaiian Electric director of wildfire strategy. "This project is a critical step toward hardening our infrastructure along the Waianae Coast."
The poles targeted for completion in 2026 stretch along Farrington Highway from Kaulawaha Road to just past Kili Drive.
The project aims to strengthen the company's infrastructure along the Leeward Coast as it faces increasing exposure to extreme winds, dry vegetation and coastal erosion. It is a near-term step toward reducing wildfire ignition risk while improving system reliability.
Crews also will install covered conductors in some areas and modernize hardware to reduce the likelihood of sparking or faults that could ignite fire.
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