Work underway filling the puka on South Kihei Road just North of the “temporary bridge” spanning Kūlanihāko‘i Stream

4/6/24 #kihei

Heavy equipment was surrounding the segment of collapsed roadway

While there was not anyone or any indication of the project at the announced start time of 7:00am today, checking back at 9:00am, it was all go.  This may be the final segment of making South Kihei Road (SKR) functional after all the flood damage- until the next time.

The roadway was accessible to local traffic between Kūlanihāko‘i and the South bank of the streambed

The loose debris was scooped out of the hole and deposited here

For months the bike lane was blocked off, so cyclists had to proceed into the southbound vehicle lane to continue onto the “temporary bridge”

The project is scheduled for three days, continuing until Monday. Vehicles were detoured from SKR at Kaonoulu as well as Kūlanihāko‘i. Accessing the highway at the roundabout was moving smoothly, but at Kaonoulu cars were backed up past Kenolio. We consider the work was planned for the weekend, since the only North-South route was the State Highway. which gets jammed with commuters weekdays, so unless they can complete the work by Sunday afternoon, it may be best to avoid the area Monday morning if possible.  If not, leave early.