Residents of two remote East Maui rural communities who endured three-hour drives for two years while a connecting section of Pi'ilani Highway damaged in the 6.7-magnitude Kiholo Bay earthquate on Oct. 15, 2006 was being repaired can once again commute between Kaupo and Kipahulu in about 90 minutes.

The $10.8 million repair project was completed ahead of schedule. The earthquake caused rockfalls, destabilized cliff faces and undermined sections of the road.

"We had anticipated about a month more of work, so being ahead of schedule is outstanding," said Maui Mayor Charmaine Tavares said yesterday. "It means that the people of Hana, Kipahulu and Kaupo can be reunited without traveling for hours through Central and Upcountry Maui.

"The difficulty of the long travel and the rising costs of fuel were keeping some families apart," the mayor continued. "We're very happy to reconnect family and friends again and really appreciate their patience, help and understanding while we addressed the post-earthquake disaster."

FEMA funds may reimburse the county as much as $3 million; the county has received $1.1 million so far, Tavares said.

The 10-mile stretch of roadway was officially declared open today but was actually open yesterday after a re-dedication ceremony on Alelele Bridge attended by 150 residents, who were treated to traditional Hawaiian lu'au food hosted by Janod Contractors Inc., the final contractor of the multiphased project.

Traffic wasn't unusually heavy today but steady, mostly by tourists, according to Hana police.

County officials cautioned motorists to drive carefully since many parts of the historic road are very rural in nature.

Tavares said educating drivers — mostly visitors — that there was no through traffic on the eastern side of the island, proved to

be one of the more challenging obstacles.

"To the dismay of the residents, many drivers used private driveways in Kipahulu to turn around and park illegally, which added to the distress of the affected community," the mayor said.

The closure impacted may businesses. "The Kaupo Store suffered significant losses when visitor travel around the eastern side of Haleakala through Kaupo stopped, Tavares said.