UPDATE 3/22/19 So just when road improvements of SKR are pau for now, and many of the E-W roads are coming back smoother, here comes major work on the highway with proposed lane closures from Kaonoulu to Waipuilani for at least two weeks including Saturdays. If you have to be on the road, plan to leave early and be patient.
UPDATE 2/25/19 This morning the area along SKR near Kaonoulu, where construction of the time- share project at the site of the old Maui Lu Resort squeezes width of Kaonoulu, SKR is reduced to a single lane of alternating traffic to repave that road. Then one block south, Kulanihakoi is closed for construction. So the result is what one might expect of doing a lot of traffic affecting work in the same area at that same time. Traffic jams.
Lines of cars on all streets inhibit truck turn
Lane closed on SKR
2/17/19 #kihei #transportation #mauimpo
There are long-overdue street repair and repaving projects all around Kihei recently and the impact of the various closures and rerouting are leveled on all residents and visitors of Kihei.
Starting this week, there will be repair work on a segment of South Kihei Road which stretches approximately from Yee’s Farm to the Whale Sanctuary. There is also the continued repair and repaving of Welakahao, Waipuilani, Lipoa, and Kulanihakoi streets.
Kulanihakoi will someday be the thoroughfare and entrance to the high school, which is under construction at the intersection of the Pi’ilani Highway. This road will be closed for a few months, starting this week.
The streets are closed due to repair work, even with no workers present. So on weekends, when there are no workers, all vehicles have no choice but to use South Kihei Road as both entrance and exit for the highway.
There is a potential alternative route, just mauka of South Kihei Road, with minimal disruptions, which cuts through the Kamali’i Alayna housing development on Oluwea Street via Waiapo Street. The increased traffic flow through this particular area will likely not be appreciated by homeowners. Then just south of that intersection, South Kihei Road road work reduces to alternative flow.
The imagined Kulanihakoi Greenway, just north of the planned North-South Collector Road
It is great all these roads are getting long-needed attention- but why all at once? What if there is an emergency, such as a tsunami?
Let’s hope there is no major incident on the Pi’ilani Highway, just leaving South Kihei Road and the North-South Collector Road. Oh, wait that Collector Road was never built was it?
So, with regard to all this road work, plan on leaving your home or work very early, be very patient & use a lot of aloha. Spring is coming.
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Aloha Mike,
Thank you for the detailed breakdown of current traffic issues in Kihei. All of which are being expounded when schools let out. The light at the intersection of Lipoa and Piilani Hwy is now backing up significantly more due to the re-adjustment for the sake of Kihei Charter School and the roundabout by Safeway becomes utterly useless as traffic trying to get on the highway gets so backed up that no one can cut through the circle. Hopefully this is not the new ‘normal’ but it’s very interesting to see all of these issues arising at the same time – either poor planning or poor preparation of the public (or most likely a combination of both).
I agree that most of these repairs, etc. are needed but why does it seem like the main traffic areas are almost always scheduled for work during our primary tourist season when the roads are already over loaded. Why couldn’t the County do these main thoroughfare roads in the fall or spring instead of doing repaving of side streets (that probably really didn’t even need repaving due to light traffic loads)? Just a thought…