Roadway along rural Alelele Point reopens 3 months after rockfall
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The Maui News
Maui County's roadway along rural Alelele Point in East Maui reopened Tuesday, nearly three months after a rockfall forced emergency work to remove rock debris and stabilize the cliffside.
"The road closure has had a significant impact on the lives of residents in the East Maui and Kaupo areas who have used the road for daily travel between these rural areas for work, home, animals and family caretaking duties," Mayor Richard Bissen said in a news release Tuesday. "We appreciate their patience and resilience as our contractor completed the necessary work. We are also very grateful for the diligence and hard work of our Public Works staff and the crew members of contractor Prometheus Construction who worked seven days a week to enable a reopening that could occur as soon as safely possible. I'm pleased the work is done, the area is in a better stabilized condition, and we can return access to our residents."
The reopening had been delayed by Tropical Storm Calvin last week and postponed material deliveries before Hawaiian Telcom completed the infrastructure reinstallation, the county said.
The narrow, remote roadway connecting the rural communities of Kipahulu and Kaupo was closed in May due to safety issues in the wake of a rockfall in late April that obstructed the road and created hazardous conditions.
Emergency slope scaling and rock debris removal by contractor Prometheus Construction Inc. started July 11, with crews removing about 2,300 tons of material -- 800 tons more than initial projections, according to the county. Crew members rappelled to remove loose boulders and other material along the slope, which extends nearly 300 feet high. Some boulders were up to 10 feet in diameter and weighed up to 22 tons.
As conditions permitted, residents received limited access starting July 11 during non-construction work hours.