State expedites emergency repairs on Hawaiʻi Belt Road between Wainaku, Hakalau

Emergency repairs on Hawaiʻi Belt Road (Route 19) in the recently declared traffic emergency zone between Wainaku and Hakalau will begin Monday, Dec. 22.

The Hawaiʻi Department of Transportation is expediting the work, which was originally planned to begin in January. Repair work will be from 8:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. Monday through Friday.

A recent field investigation showed roadway surface distresses and depressions progressively worsening in the area, along with slope changes and deep-seated failures extending below the roadway base.

Emergency mitigation measures include patching open cracks and fixing depressed pavement areas by installing grid structural systems in the subgrade of the roadway. A comprehensive geotechnical report is being prepared, and results are expected within six months.

This week, a traffic emergency zone was declared, allowing the Department of Transportation to expedite procurement and permitting to construct improvements to protect access to the state highway, pursuant to Hawaiʻi Revised Statutes Section 264-1.5. A public hearing was held Tuesday, Dec. 16.

Next week, the work will be from Monday, Dec. 22, to Wednesday, Dec. 24. The following week, work will be from Monday, Dec. 29, to Wednesday, Dec. 31. Immediate repairs are scheduled to last up to two weeks.

Crews will repair the following areas:

• Mile Post 4, vicinity of Hilo Scenic Point
• Mile Post 11.6, vicinity of Pepeʻekeo Plantation Road Overpass
• Mile Post 12.35, vicinity of Kapehu Stream
• Mile Post 12.5, vicinity of Honomū Stream
• Mile Post 12.7, vicinity of Honomū Stream
• Mile Post 13.7, vicinity of Honomū Road
• Mile Post 14.8, vicinity of Chin Chuck Road
• Mile Post 14.9, vicinity of Chin Chuck Road

Work will involve a single lane closure in either direction. One lane will remain open with traffic alternated in the open lane.

For Monday, Dec. 22, work is scheduled for Mile Post 4, in the vicinity of Hilo Scenic Point. The project will continue to move north each scheduled workday to each mile post.

All work is weather permitting. For construction schedule updates or changes, see the Department of Transportation’s social media.