Workers remedy slick section of Pali Highway
By Scott Ishikawa
Advertiser Transportation Writer
Workers repaired a slick section of the Pali Highway at the hairpin turn on the Windward side yesterday after a dozen accidents there in the past month.
Richard Ambo • The Honolulu Advertiser
Both Kailua-bound lanes were reopened at 3 p.m. But one Kailua-bound lane will be closed again today while crews repair a section of drainage ditch damaged by falling rocks.
State Department of Transportation workers clear debris from a drainage ditch that had become clogged along the Pali Highway, causing water to flow onto the road, making it slippery.
A roadside drainage ditch clogged with brush and debris just past the tunnel and before the hairpin turn caused water to run onto the road. Department of Transportation spokeswoman Marilyn Kali said the blockage was a result of a rockslide near the drain.
Both Kailua-bound lanes of the Pali were closed during yesterday's cleanup work and traffic was diverted to one Honolulu-bound lane. State workers used a backhoe and shovels to clean out the brush and soil.
Police officer Larry Santos earlier this week said the run-off caused patches of slippery moss to grow on the highway, covering the right lane and half of the left lane. Santos investigated many of the accidents there this month.
The worst accident occurred July 11 when an 18-year-old man braked on the wet pavement and his van skidded and flipped. The man, who was traveling at the speed limit of 35 miles per hour and wearing his seat belt, was not seriously injured.
Black and white scrapes on the highway wall, along with broken car reflectors and a hubcap, showed how many vehicles may have lost control near the hairpin turn.
The road was dry yesterday and Kali said no moss was found. The state cleans out the drainage ditch twice a year, she said. Crews yesterday also did pothole repairs and added road reflectors.
