Hāna Hwy Back to Normal After Weekend Landslide

July 19, 2016, 4:14 PM HST
* Updated July 19, 4:22 PM

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Traffic along the Hāna Highway is back to normal after a weekend landslide that resulted in a nearly 12 hour road closure in the Wailua area of East Maui.

The landslide occurred on the highway at approximately Mile 19.7 near the Waikani Bridge at 7 a.m. on Sunday, July 17, according to Tim Sakahara with the state Department of Transportation’s Public Affairs Office.

Sources tell us the landslide stretched 70-feet and spanned the width of the Hāna Highway. Maui police said the landslide resulted in a 20-foot pile up of debris.

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According to Sakahara, a state maintenance crew was on site in less than 90 minutes and began working to clear the site from the Kahului side. A contractor was also secured to work from the Hāna side. In addition, the County of Maui sent two trucks to aid in the cleanup efforts.

A front end loader, backhoe, track hoe, and eight dump trucks were utilized to clear the site, state Transportation Department officials tell Maui Now.

Work was completed and the roadway opened at approximately 6:30 p.m. Maui police contacted media outlets at 7:50 p.m. to advise that the road had re-open in both directions.

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Many who were stranded on the Hāna side of the landslide chose to return to Central Maui via the back road (Piʻilani Highway) through Kīpahulu and Kaupō.

Several families attending a reunion in East Maui said a caravan of cars traversed the back road to get back to Central Maui.