Road reopens after rockfall

By Curtis Lum
Advertiser Staff Writer

Both lanes of Kamehameha Highway at Kipapa Gulch were opened yesterday afternoon after a rockslide closed the roadway Thursday night.

A rock broke through protective netting and bounced over a chain-link fence onto the northbound lanes of the highway. The rockslide occurred before 9 p.m. and forced closure of the highway.

State crews cleared debris and fixed the fence and protective netting, but the townbound lane of the highway remained closed during morning rush-hour.

A state geologist was called to survey the area and determined that the rockslide was an isolated incident, according to a transportation department statement. The highway was reopened at 1 p.m. yesterday.

The protective netting was installed a year ago to minimize potential rockslides. Transportation officials said this stretch of Kamehameha Highway is being studied by geologists for an O'ahu rockfall mitigation plan.

The results of the study will be used to identify and prioritize potential rockslide areas on O'ahu.

The last rockslide to close a major roadway was March 6, 2000, when large rocks fell across Kamehameha Highway near Waimea Bay.