The Piilani Highway along the backside of Haleakala is still closed, and unstable rocks and undermined roadways and cliff sides are waiting to be stabilized.

And a barricade across the highway remains in place, cutting off vehicular access between the remote Kaupo and Kipahulu communities.

The good news is, repairs to the area are still on schedule.

County officials said in March that the work — estimated in the millions of dollars — should be completed within a two-year span.

The barricade will be removed when all work is completed and roadway maintenance is done, officials said.

"Our engineers and department staff have been mindful of the hardship the two serious earthquakes caused to the rural communities of Kaupo and Kipahulu. In order to manage the immense planning and work, key staff have been assigned to guide our efforts," Mayor Charmaine Tavares said in a statement to The Maui News. "The coordination between the county, state Civil Defense and FEMA (Federal Emergency Management Agency) is crucial and a key component of having the historical Piilani Highway safe for increased passage again."

Tavares said although work is not completed, "the progress made is considerable."

She is also appreciative of the communities' patience and of the tolerance shown as they struggled with the aftermath of the quakes and adapted to a change in county administration.

"Because of the seriousness of the situation the earthquakes created, and our concern for public safety, we have never taken the condition of the road nor their distress lightly," Tavares added.

Community reaction to the emergency measures has not always been so tolerant. The barriers were repeatedly moved without permission, and many residents complained that they would rather take their chances with falling boulders than put up with an extended closure of their road.

Last year's magnitude-6.7 and 6.0 earthquakes occurred deep in the channel between the Big Island and East Maui and caused landslides and rock falls along the narrow roadway that runs from Kaupo through Kipahulu to Hana.

Maui residents also lost power for several hours, and some buildings sustained light damage. Much more serious structural damage was sustained on the Big Island.

Surveys done after the quake showed the rocky slopes along the East Maui highway had cracks and unstable boulders.

Initially the Paihi Bridge between Kipahulu and Hana was shut down because of damage observed in the rock base under the bridge. When a temporary bridge was installed in December, then-mayor Alan Arakawa observed boulders across the road between Kipahulu and Kaupo and ordered the highway blocked at Lelekea, to prevent tourists and residents from driving along the unstable cliffs. In March, county officials announced a plan to make the area safe.

So far, the county, with assistance from state Civil Defense and FEMA, has almost completed its first phase of repair work at Manawainui.

The county has identified several phases of work along the Piilani Highway. These include removing or stabilizing of rocks and of netting the cliff sides at Manawainui Gulch, repairs of three undermined road areas in Kalepa and more rock work on cliffs at Kalepa and Alelele.

Manawainui Gulch

Deputy Public Works Director Michael Miyamoto said the rock scaling work at Manawainui was completed in September by Hi-Tech Rockfall Construction.

But additional work of installing ring netting still needs to be completed, with the materials scheduled to arrive in early November.

Miyamoto expects installation of the netting to be completed in late November or early December. Just as the roadway was physically closed during the rock scaling work, there will also be closures during the net installation.

County officials estimated the cliff side work and netting at Manawainui will cost around $1.3 million.

Guardrails that were damaged in the scaling work will be repaired after installation of the netting, Miyamoto said.

Undermined Areas at Kalepa

Miyamoto said the county is awaiting approval from FEMA regarding a cultural sensitivity evaluation, which includes reviews from government agencies and the public. Two meetings were held last week, one in Hana and the other in Kula, to discuss the project.

Miyamoto said he expects to receive an answer on the evaluation in two to four weeks.

Miyamoto said Janod Contractors has been contracted to do the work for nearly $1.9 million.

Contractors will initially do some minor rock scaling above the roadway to ensure that rocks do not fall on crews while they are working.

Miyamoto said Janod will preserve the most visible areas of the roadway by protecting them with wood as crews work on the rock scaling.

The crews will stabilize the upper areas using a sprayed-on concrete mix. Secure anchoring points for the sprayed-on concrete mix will be installed, and there will be a safety net to capture the falling debris, Miyamoto said.

FEMA had suggested in its draft report early this year that buttressing efforts should be done at undermined points of the roadways.

Miyamoto said Janod's work in the area could take about 60 days with weather and staffing impacting the schedule.

Kalepa and Alelele

Miyamoto said scaling work at Kalepa and Alelele will be similar to work at Manawainui, although the terrain is different, so methods of scaling may be different.

A FEMA public information officer, Frank Mansell, said the county has applied for funding for five projects. Two have had funds obligated, Manawainui and the guardrails. FEMA will pay up to 75 percent of the costs, while the rest will be picked up by the county and the state, Mansell said.

Funding for the undermined areas in Kalepa and the additional work in Kalepa and Alelele have not been obligated, as reviews are continuing, Mansell said.