Pahoa Roundabout Construction To Start In September

Construction for the new Pahoa roundabout is slated for September.

Hawaii Island drivers should expect to see construction signage and preparation near Route 130 and Old Government Road as Isemoto Contracting Co. prepares a temporary detour for the $4.8 million project.

Caroline Sluyter, spokeswoman for the state Department of Transportation, said the detour is anticipated for mid-to-late October when the Pahoa Bypass will be closed and traffic diverted onto Pahoa Village Road and Kahakai Boulevard.

Sluyter said there will be a public meeting in October to explain the detour, but no date has been set.

“All of that hasn’t been hashed out yet,” she said. “We just wanted to give people a heads up that it’s coming down the line.”

The project is expected to be completed in summer 2015 and will be the first state-built roundabout on the Big Island.

According to a press release, the purpose of the project is to provide a safe, efficient, and accessible facility for all users including motorists, pedestrians, cyclists, and is needed to address safety and traffic congestion as well as future increases in traffic.