Kailua bound? Bridge repairs lead to significant delays for drivers

KAILUA (HawaiiNewsNow) – Construction on the North Kalaheo Avenue bridge in Windward Oahu is causing major delays for Kailua residents, with phase one of the work expected to last through the end of July.

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“What used to be a six minute drive is now easily taking an hour and a half or more of my evening just to get home,” Kailua resident Sadie DeGre said.

The Kailua-bound lane of the bridge is closed on weekdays for the work, with only outbound traffic allowed through.

DeGre, who lives a few minutes away, said she has adjusted by running errands on foot.

“As a solution for myself, I’ve decided to park my rig and walk myself in and walk myself out just to bypass this small expansion of shutdown,” she said.

She said the worst delays come during the evening rush hour, when Kailua-bound drivers trying to cross the bridge are met with a road closed sign. Even with a detour in place and drivers being rerouted onto Kainui Drive, delays continue.

“I don’t know what other alternatives there are, but I feel like they’re just, there’s nothing except for two months of absolute misery for my commute coming my way,” DeGre said.

The city says the bridge is undergoing crucial repairs. Officials said in phase two, alternating traffic will be allowed during work hours.

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The current traffic pattern is also affecting businesses and workers in the area.

“It took me 2.5 hours yesterday to get home,” said Christian Miyabara, who works at Nico’s Kailua and lives in Waimānalo.

“I’m kind of concerned because, you know, more and more people are gonna find out that they gotta wait longer to get here. They’re just gonna bypass us and not come in,” Miyabara said.

DeGre said she was aware of the upcoming work and tried to alert others in the community.

“We also knew that this was coming, so we anticipated it and tried to share it within our community.”

Concerns can be shared with the City’s Department of Design & Construction at 808-768-8400.

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