Fallen utility pole and lines leads to 10 hour closure of Piʻilani Highway

Update: Piʻilani Highway OPEN as of 1:51 p.m.;
Hawaiian Telcom: Work is done “as quickly as possible when it is safe to do so.”

(Update: 6:27 p.m., 8.5.22)

Piʻilani Highway was reopened as of 1:51 p.m. on Friday, Aug. 5, 2022. It was closed for more than 10 hours while Hawaiian Telcom worked to repair downed utility lines between Kaiwahine Street and Uwapo Road in North Kīhei.

A spokesperson with Hawaiian Telcom tells Maui Now that a utility pole fell in the early morning hours, and it is unclear what caused the pole to fall.

According to the company, crews work hard to open roads as quickly as possible when it is safe to do so.

“A number of factors contribute to the repair time. In this case, we had to bring in a contractor to help plant the new pole as the ground was rock and special equipment was needed,” said Hawaiian Telcom spokesperson Ann Nishida in an email.

According to Nishida, the incident occurred in a two-lane area, so there was limited room to work safely until the work was completed just before 2 p.m. on Friday.

The pole also had a lot of cables and equipment attached, which also contributed to the repair time, according to the company.

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Piʻilani Highway Remains Closed:
New ETA is 3 p.m.

(Update Aug. 5, 2022, 11:15 a.m.)

Piʻilani Highway remains closed, and officials with Hawaiian Telcom now say repairs are estimated for completion at 3 p.m. This is three hours beyond an earlier estimate.

The closure is on the Piʻilani Highway at Kaiwahine Street and Uwapo Road in North Kīhei. Traffic is being routed down to South Kīhei Road.

Maui police report there is extremely heavy traffic conditions on roadways, in all directions.

Fallen utility lines force closure of Piʻilani Highway in North Kīhei

Due to fallen utility lines, the Piʻilani Highway is closed until further notice. Maui police issued the closure notice at 3:17 a.m. saying traffic from Piʻilani Highway is being routed down Uwapo Road to South Kīhei Road.

Repairs by Hawaiian Telcom are estimated to result in an extended closure until around noon today.

Motorist can expect major delays into and out of South Maui.

Traffic is especially backing up into Kihei along the Maui Veterans Highway, with little to no movement at last report.