The realignment of the merge lane from Kalaniana'ole Highway to Kamehameha Highway was prompted by four rockslides in the area in the last three weeks, including two on June 2 that forced officials to close the lane.

Highway crews installed 70 concrete barriers along the 1,400-foot-long lane and reopened it early yesterday morning, said transportation spokesman Scott Ishikawa.

The state initially thought it would take three weeks to realign the lane because officials were unsure if they had enough concrete barriers, Ishikawa said.

The barriers moved the lane farther away from a crumbling, unstable bluff.

After the merge lane was closed last week, drivers had been making an abrupt right turn onto Kamehameha Highway. They kept trying to do that yesterday, Ishikawa said.

"After the first hour, people started getting the hang of it," Ishikawa said. "It's not the same as before, but it's working."

Ishikawa said the state is still working on a long-term solution to the rockslides.