Uakea Road Now Open Following Hana Storm

Uakea Road. Photo courtesy Karley Kahalehoe.

By Wendy Osher

Uakea Road in East Maui is now open following a severe storm in March that washed out the rural road on the approach to Hana Town.

During the repairs, motorists utilized an alternate route, resulting in a heavier than usual volume of vehicles on the Hana Highway above the town’s Fire Station.

The Uakea Road repairs were done by the Hawaiian Dredging and Construction Company at a cost of $700,000.

Officials from the County Public Works department say the roadway was completely washed out and this project restored the pavement structure to pre-storm conditions.

Additional work included replacement of damaged culverts and headwall structures, as well as reconstruction of rock walls.

Upon completion of the project, public works officials said, “the second and primary access to Hana Town is now available to motorists.”

In separate action, the governor released $2 million in May for improvements to the Hana Highway between Uakea Road and Keawa Place to fix damages caused by the same storm.

Uakea Road. Photo courtesy Karley Kahalehoe.

The funds were allocated for the widening of the road at the location to provide clear, two-way traffic flow, and enable access for emergency vehicles responding from the nearby Hana Fire Station.

The funds were part of a larger $37.5 million CIP funding release to address storm damage and safety upgrades across the state.

At the time, Governor Neil Abercrombie stated:

“Leveraging available federal funds, these Capital Improvement Projects are examples of state government working quickly and efficiently to maintain Hawai’i’s transportation infrastructure.  It was necessary for our state Department of Transportation to act decisively in March to reopen roadways like Kuhio Highway on Kaua’i and elsewhere following severe rainfall. These funds help sustain reliable transportation and commerce, while generating jobs for local people.”