Downed utility lines block Pali Highway

By Curtis Lum
Advertiser Staff Writer

Pali Highway was shut down in both directions last night near Dowsett Avenue after a van knocked down a utility pole and stretched power lines across the highway.

The accident occurred at 9:05 p.m. when a Kailua-bound van hit a utility pole near Dowsett, severing it. That caused another pole to fall, leaving live electrical lines across the width of Pali, police said.

The driver of the van was taken to a hospital in critical condition.

Police diverted Kailua-bound traffic to La'imi Road and Honolulu-bound motorists to Wood Street.

The result was a major traffic jam, especially in the Kailua-bound direction, police said.

Police vehicular homicide investigators were called to the scene. Police reopened the Honolulu-bound lanes about 11:45 p.m. The Kailua-bound lanes remained closed late last night for repairs to the poles.

The accident briefly knocked out power to about 1,200 customers in the area, said Hawaiian Electric Co. spokesman Bruce Benson. He said crews would work through the night to replace the downed poles.