Renovation of Kamehameha Avenue to Begin Next Month

To motorists and shoppers still recovering from last year’s renovation of Kilauea Avenue, beware: Another major Hilo road project is about to get underway.

The Kamehameha Avenue Reconstruction project is slated to begin Feb. 3.

It is scheduled to be completed by the summer of 2015.

The $13 million effort involves major renovations to the road, its sidewalks and drainage from Ponahawai Street to the end of the canoe parking lot near Wailoa Bridge.

Work will also include the addition of bike lanes, an upgrade to the traffic signal at the Pauahi Street intersection, relocation of waterlines and installation of LED streetlights.

The project will also require the relocation of the Bayfront bus stop on Kamehameha to the Afook-Chinen Civic Auditorium. The Hele-On bus making the South Kohala resort trips will pick up and drop off passengers in front of the nearby Francis Wong Stadium.

This map provided by the county Department of Public Works shows the boundaries of the Kamehameha Avenue Reconstruction project (click to enlarge).

For more information on the bus use, call the county Mass Transit Agency at 961-8343.

Bus passengers using the Mo`oheau Bus Terminal will not be affected, a spokeswoman for the county Department of Public Works said.

Construction by Isemoto Contracting will be done on weekdays between 7 a.m. and 3:30 p.m., although some of the work, such as waterline relocation and improvements to the Pauahi Street intersection, may be done on weekends.

The Federal Highway Administration is funding 80% of the project, with the county covering the remainder.