Posted on: Friday, August 27, 2004

Projects to close lanes on Kahekili Highway

Advertiser Staff

Commuters on Kahekili Highway will have to deal with lane closures as part of three projects either under way or scheduled to begin by the end of the year.

A yearlong, $2.68 million lighting project on Kahekili Highway from Ha'iku Road in Kane'ohe to 'Ahuimanu Road in Kahalu'u has already begun. The state is upgrading the lights on the road, said state Department of Transportation spokesman Scott Ishikawa.

A contractor is expected to begin work on a temporary roundabout in October at the intersection of Kahekili and Kamehameha highways, Ishikawa said. The $350,000 project should take two to three months to complete, but the state will not begin the new traffic pattern until after the holidays, he said.

The final project, to landscape Kahekili Highway between Ha'iku and Kea'ahala roads, has been delayed again but should begin by the end of the year, he said. A $2.58 million contract has been awarded, but the state must make changes to the design, including moving electrical wiring from the center of the highway, Ishikawa said.

Lane closures are anticipated for all the projects, but contractors will try to keep them to a minimum, he said.