County: Piilani Highway still impassable after storm damage
A vehicle is mired in mud and debris Tuesday on Piilani Highway near Mile Marker 35. COUNTY OF MAUI photos
Highways Superintendent Paul Barany stands near a culvert washout Tuesday near Mile Marker 36.
A vehicle is mired in mud and debris Tuesday on Piilani Highway near Mile Marker 35. COUNTY OF MAUI photos
Highways Superintendent Paul Barany stands near a culvert washout Tuesday near Mile Marker 36.
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The Maui News
Piilani Highway is still impassable due to landslides and roadway damage from recent heavy rainfall, the county said Wednesday, urging drivers to avoid the area while Department of Public Works crews clear and repair the road.
"I urge everyone to enter and exit Hana by way of Paia and Haiku on Hana Highway while our Maui County Highways Division crews work to clear landslides and make necessary road repairs to Piilani Highway on the southern side of Haleakala," Maui County Mayor Michael Victorino said in a news release. "Crews are working diligently. But there is significant road damage, and repairs will take time. We thank motorists for their patience and understanding."
As of late Wednesday afternoon, the highway was closed for 1.5 miles from Mile Marker 35.5 in Kaupo to Mile Marker 37 in Kipahulu. The department reported good progress in making repairs Wednesday, after a survey of damage on Tuesday found significant damage at culverts and numerous remaining landslides, the county said.
Residents are now able to travel as far as the Lelekea culvert from the Hana side of the highway but are not able to make it through the 1.5-mile section of the highway that remains closed until further notice.
East Maui caught the brunt of the rainstorm earlier this week. In a 24-hour period from 2 p.m. Sunday to 2 p.m. Monday, the National Weather Service reported 7.97 inches at the West Wailuaiki rain gauge, 2.35 inches at the Kepuni gauge and 2.23 inches at the Hana Airport gauge.