WAIMEA — The state is sending crews back up the cliffs above Waimea Bay to remove loose rocks and install a screen to minimize the chance of another rockfall that would close Kamehameha Highway.

The work, to take place July 9 to 17, will include intermittent road closures, the Department of Transportation announced yesterday.

A recent inspection at Waimea Bay, where boulders fell April 7, revealed a widening fissure in the rock formation, said Scott Ishikawa, spokesman for the state Department of Transportation. A DOT consultant said the rocks would fall eventually, and the DOT didn't want to risk another slide, Ishikawa said.

"If we do it now, it will probably save us a lot of time and grief later on," Ishikawa said. "You don't want anybody getting hurt."

While a protective fence kept tons of boulders from falling on the highway in April, the damage to the fence was extensive, and the department wants to prevent that from happening again if possible, he said.

On April 7, tons of boulders and debris fell on Kamehameha Highway at a time when no one was on the road. A steel-ring fence installed seven years ago held back most of the material, protecting the road from serious damage and making the cleanup easier.

The highway was closed for two days after the April rockfall. In March 2000, a rockfall closed the highway for 95 days. The state realigned Kamehameha Highway slightly makai and added the steel-ring fence as a barrier to future rockfalls.

Goodfellow Brothers has the $151,000 contract for this month's work. On Monday, a crew will move equipment into place behind the existing protective fence, and on Tuesday, a crane will install an additional screen to catch falling debris, Ishikawa said. The netting is 36 feet wide by 100 feet long. Workers will use drills to loosen material as they rappel down the face of the cliff, he said.

The work will require intermittent lane closings for up to 10 minutes. At the start and end of the project, the traffic will be completely halted while heavy equipment is moved.

Ishikawa said state officials hope to complete the project before school starts July 30 and after the Fourth of July holiday.

North Shore resident Michael Lyons said the community is happy the work is getting done but said the state needs to do more.

"They really need a plan, because that whole area is subject to problems, especially for the other side," said Lyons, chairman of the North Shore Neighborhood Board, referring to the cliffs on the Hale'iwa side of Waimea Bay. "If that side closes, there's no way to get around it."

Lyons said the board has asked state officials to work on a plan and consider alternate routes in case of a slide. One suggested route is Drum Road, which runs above Pupukea to Wahiawa and is used by the military to get to training grounds in Kahuku.

Ishikwa said the DOT is working to create a plan for the slopes above the entrance to Waimea Bay Beach Park. He acknowledged that Drum Road could be used as an alternative, although he wasn't sure if it is paved.

"One option would be to move the road farther away from the hillside while we do the work," he said. "It's not an easy feat, but it can be done on a temporary basis."

Reach Eloise Aguiar at eaguiar@honoluluadvertiser.com.