HDOT Schedules Emergency Repairs for East Hawaiʻi Bridge

An East Hawaiʻi bridge will be reduced to one lane all day for emergency repairs.

The Hilo-bound lane over Kolekole Bridge, at the 14.7-mile marker, will be shut down from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. today, Sept. 20. The repairs come days after Hawaiʻi County officials reduced the structureʻs allowable vehicular weight to four tons or 8,000 pounds.

During work hours, Hilo-bound traffic will be allowed over Kolekole Bridge by contraflow in the Honokaʻa-bound lane. Flaggers will direct traffic and electronic signs have been placed to alert motorists to the closure.

The emergency repairs consist of welding of two of the steel trusses of the bridge to support raising the weight restriction to 12 tons, which will accommodate most emergency and transit vehicles, Hawaiʻi Department of Transportation reports.

Ambulances are allowed over the bridge.

The timeline for the longer-term repairs is three to four months pending the availability of materials. The expedited repairs are supported by the declaration of Hawaiʻi Belt Road in the vicinity of Kolekole Bridge as a traffic emergency zone.