‘A critical step forward’: Highway 137’s restoration underway in Lower Puna

Life in Lower Puna on the Big Island would change forever after lava erupted at the beginning of May 2018 in Leilani Estates.

Nearly 8 years later, travel in Puna is more costly and time consuming — even with greater hazard from worse connectivity — because of about 30 miles of roads forever locked underneath lava flows from one of the largest eruptions on Earth in recent centuries.

Wheels are finally in motion, however, to get people once again cruising along roads thought all but lost to the 2018 lower East Rift Zone eruption of Kīlauea volcano.

It was hard to phathom when the eruption started May 3, 2018, that 24 fissures would open before the month was finished.

Even moreso to the island’s surprise — and world’s — was that Kīlauea would go on for about the next 3 and a half months to pump out about 1 billion or more cubic yards of lava which inundated nearly 14 square miles of land, created nearly 900 acres of new land, destroyed more than 700 dwellings and wiped out entire communities including Kapoho, Vacationland and most of Kapoho Beach Lots as well as much of Leilani Estates and Lanipuna Gardens.

It also covered a total of about 32 miles of public and private Lower Puna roadways.

Efforts are now underway in earnest to put more of those miles back into service. Hawaiʻi County announced last week that work began Jan. 9 to restore a 3.6-mile stretch of Highway 137 between where Kapoho once stood and Pohoiki to the southwest along the Puna coastline.

Isemoto Contracting of Hilo started rough grading the route at “Four Corners,” where the highway connects with Highway 132 nearly 9 miles southeast of Pāhoa and a bit more than 2 miles slightly southwest of Cape Kumukahi, the easternmost point of the Big Island as well as eastern end of Kīlauea’s East Rift Zone.

Rough grading will likely continue for the next several months, with waterline installation and paving to follow on the restored highway that will once again connect with Pohoiki Road.

Lava first crossed Highway 137 the night of May 19, 2018, near the 13-mile marker between Pohoiki and MacKenzie State Recreation Area before reaching and entering the ocean. A temporary access road was established between Pohoiki and MacKenzie later in 2018 after that flow became inactive.

Two weeks later, lava buried the “Four Corners” area June 2, 2018, and advanced into Kapoho Crater.

It entered the ocean the next day after flowing through and devastating Vacationland and Kapoho Beach Lots, and the eruption throughout the next couple of months swallowed much of the area north and east between Pohoiki Road and Highway 132 — including the nearly 4 miles of Highway 137 now being restored.

The restoration project should be finished before the end of 2026.

It can’t some soon enough for some residents, who can no longer get to their homes or businesses even though they were spared by the volcano because they were cut off when lava severed main transportation conduits such as Highway 137.

Having less route options resulted in spikes to overall travel costs and time, and it’s become even more dangerous to hele on, especially in Lower Puna. A lack of connectivity prior to the 2018 eruption was only exacerbated as many communities only have one access road to enter and exit.

“Not having the roads open adds a lot of drive time, a lot of gas money,” said Puna resident Rebecca Corby in August 2023. “Before, it only took 20 minutes to get from Pohoiki Road to Pāhoa Town. With the roads still down, it takes over an hour to get around the Pāhoa area whether it’s to visit friends, go to the beach or head out of town.”

Some on social media were quick to criticize how long it took for restoration work to begin, chastise the time needed for the project to be completed or even complain that other roads aren’t part of the plan.

But the road to recovery begins with a road.

“Restoration of Highway 137 is a critical step forward in Lower Puna’s recovery,” said Hawaiʻi County Councilwoman Ashley Kierkiewicz, who represents District 4 which includes the entire area overrun by the eruption. “Our office is deeply grateful for the efforts to get construction back on track and ensure the project is completed, allowing our community to move forward with renewed strength and resilience.”

Kierkiewicz wrote in a Sept. 24, 2024, Facebook post following a special blessing of equipment for the Highway 137 project that the Puna community has come a long way since 2018, but there’s still much to do before the district fully heals and recovers.

The highway’s restoration is a significant milestone, and with the project underway, there is real forward progress: “It’s so surreal!”

Puna’s highway to healing isn’t just beginning with one road, however. It’s starting with two.

The county also awarded a contract to Honolulu-based Nan Inc., which has crews and offices on Hawai‘i Island, for reconstruction and realignment of 4.5 miles of Pohoiki Road inundated by lava in 2018.

That project includes installation of new waterlines along the route as well.

Pohoiki Road work is expected to start sometime between April and June this year and, like the Highway 137 restoration project, should be finished before the end of 2026.

County officials announced the Pohoiki Road contract and commencement of Highway 137 restoration work at the same time.

The two projects will cost a total of about $50 million.

Federal Emergency Management Agency funding will pay for 75% of the cost, or about $37.5 million, with the remaining about $12.5 million covered by state recovery funds to provide a 25% local match.

“We are pleased to announce that the restoration of Highway 137 is well underway,” said Hawaiʻi County Mayor Kimo Alameda. “This project, soon to be followed by the restoration of Pohoiki Road, represents the start of a long-awaited investment in Lower Puna’s infrastructure that will help reconnect impacted communities.”

The vast majority of those across social media commenting on the equipment blessing news last September and update about restoration of Highway 137 progressing as well as the Pohoiki Road contract award last week shared the mayor’s and Kierkiewicz’s excitement and hope.

“Glad the work is finally underway!!!” exclaimed Virginia Aste in reply to Kierkiewicz after the equipment blessing.

Several people simply said it’s great news. Donald Spangler commented that it was good to see the Puna community come together in positive terms, replying to a Hawaiʻi County Kīlauea Eruption Recovery post after the September blessing: “Bravo.”

“It was such a special moment to come together as a community as we begin this important project,” wrote the eruption recovery office.

Peter Easterling joined others in thanking those who made the projects possible in his reply to Kierkiewicz’s Sept. 24 post while offering words of encouragement for the future: “We’re coming back.”

“Mahalo to our community for standing strong and always showing up, and for the many people and agencies involved to bring us to this point,” Kierkiewicz added in her post. “Today was about reaffirming the commitment we have to each other, our community and our future to bring about a stronger, more sustainable Puna. Got you, Puna! Let’s get it done!”

The Kīlauea Eruption Recovery road reconstruction schedule as of this month shows that work on Highway 137 from Pohoiki Road to MacKenzie State Recreation Area is scheduled to begin sometime between April and June 2026 and be completed sometime during the first few months of 2027.

Lighthouse Road work should start at about the same time and be finished by the end of 2026.

While the county understands now that construction is happening and more is coming, and people might be drawn to check for themselves at how work is progressing or watch the road being carved out firsthand, officials remind the public to stay away and let crews do their job.

There will be no trespassing signs posted in the Highway 137 reconstruction project area.

“We know everyone is excited, but please stay out of the construction area,” said Hawaiʻi County Deputy Managing Director Merrick Nishimoto in a Facebook Reel on Jan. 17 posted on the mayor’s Facebook page. “It’s for your safety as well as the workers.”