HONOLULU (HawaiiNewsNow) – Kamehameha Highway will undergo another full closure at Waimea Bay as rockfall mitigation work continues, according to the Hawaii Department of Transportation.

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HDOT said it will close Kamehameha Highway from 7 a.m. to 5 p.m. Sunday, May 17, to allow helicopter operations to drape rockfall netting over the slope above the roadway.

To maximize work during the closure, crews will also remove steel plates that were previously placed over a waterline to protect it while crews removed loose material from the slope, HDOT said.

Emergency vehicles and TheBus will be allowed through the closure area with advance coordination. HDOT said electronic signage will be posted, and vehicles may turn around at ‘Ili‘ohu Place on the Hale‘iwa side of the closure and Kapuhi Street/Three Tables on the Kahuku side.

The closure is tied to the first delivery of 200,000 square feet of rockfall protection netting, which will cover the slope above Kamehameha Highway between mile posts 5.4 and 6.2, HDOT said. The netting will be anchored to the slope and supplemented by a 500-foot-long impact fencing system at the bottom of the slope.

HDOT said the total estimated cost for the slope stabilization project is $34.4 million, with estimated completion later this summer.

Read more Helicopter to install rockfall netting at Waimea Bay, Kamehameha Hwy temporary closure

Contraflow to remain in place for now

A 750-foot-long single-lane closure has been in place since early April, when a series of storms prompted large boulders to fall onto the road.

The 24/7 closure is expected to remain in place throughout the stabilization work. Officials said it has reduced the project’s estimated duration by half, with professional rock mitigation crews working all available daylight hours.

HDOT said flagging crews have adjusted contraflow timing to allow additional time for Kahuku-bound traffic from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m., and additional time for Hale‘iwa-bound traffic from 2 p.m. to 6 p.m. Motorists are reminded that from 6:30 p.m. to 6 a.m., contraflow is controlled by temporary traffic signals.

HDOT said it continues to work with the State Historic Preservation Division to ensure cultural resources in the construction area are protected.

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