Kīpahulu Landslide Wipes Out Road Shoulder: Emergency Closures Planned

Kīpahulu emergency road work. Courtesy photo: County of Maui.

The Department of Public Works will be closing down a portion of Piʻilani Highway in Kīpahulu for geotechnical testing later this month, county officials announced.

A recent landslide wiped out the roadway shoulder and portion of the makai edge of the highway adjacent to Nuanualoa Gulch in Kīpahulu, near mile marker 37. The road is currently open to one lane of traffic only.

The county has initiated emergency work in the area which will require the road to be tested for stability before repair work begins. The testing will require the road to be closed completely, from Feb. 16 to Feb. 19, between 7 a.m. and 3:30 p.m. After that the road will still need to be closed partially for testing from Feb. 22 to Feb. 26, also from 7 a.m. to 3:30 p.m.

During the partial closures one lane of traffic will be open. Motorists are asked to obey all traffic signage in the area. Flagmen will also be assisting with traffic control.

Repair work on the road will come later this year, and require more road closure dates. The county will release those details to the public as soon as they become available.