Changes begin next week to Hilo-bound morning contraflow on part of Highway 130

Changes are coming for Hilo-bound traffic during the morning contraflow on Highway 130, from Kaloli Drive to Shower Drive, in Puna now that restriping work is finished at the Shower Drive intersection.

The morning contraflow runs 5:30-10 a.m. Monday through Friday. 

To tie in with the new dedicated right-turn lane at the Shower Drive intersection, the following will be in place from Sept. 30 to Oct. 14:

• The traffic pattern from Shower Drive to enter Hilo-bound Highway 130 will be as shown above. There will be no left turns onto Shower Drive. To access Hawaiian Paradise Park, motorists can take the next left turn to Paradise Drive or make a right onto Pōhaku Drive, make a U-turn and continue straight to Shower Drive.
• The contraflow limits will be extended about 0.3 of a mile in both directions. This will allow for sufficient merging of the mauka contraflow lane in the Hilo-bound direction. On the Pāhoa side, this will extend the contraflow slightly beyond the Kaloli Drive intersection.

Electronic message boards will be posted to notify motorists of contraflow patterns.

Only right turns will be allowed onto or from Highway 130 at the intersection with Kaloli Drive as of Oct. 14.

Hilo-bound traffic from Pāhoa will be shifted into the mauka contraflow lane to provide a dedicated right-turn lane from Kaloli onto the highway.

This shift comes later to provide motorists time to adjust commutes to accommodate the change.

The Hawaiʻi Department of Transportation said this will allow for improved traffic flow through the corridor of the contraflow.

The dedicated right-turn lane from Shower Drive was removed in summer 2019 to accommodate the morning Hilo-bound contraflow from Kaloli to Shower.

After re-evaluation of traffic patterns and community input, the state Transportation Department made the decision to reinstate that turn lane.

Preparations for this work began in August and restriping work began earlier this month.

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