Kamehameha Highway in Pearl City will soon go back to 3 lanes each way
HART is beginning phase 1 of a repaving project.
HONOLULU (HawaiiNewsNow) - For roughly two years, the commute along Kamehameha Highway has been a rough ride for drivers, residents and businesses because of rail construction.
Alternate lanes and barriers have often clogged traffic while the road below cracked in some places.
"It's been really bumpy. A lot of tire changing," said Antasia Keliikoa, a manager for Jackson Hewitt Tax Service which is next to Kamehameha Highway in Pearl City. She says they lost some business during the rail construction so she's looking forward to a repaved highway.
HART says starting Tuesday night, it will start repaving a 4-mile stretch of Kamehameha Highway.
Phase 1 of the project goes from Acacia Road to the Waiau Power Plant and HART expects to complete that section before Thanksgiving.
"I'm excited because we start tax season in January so our clients have a better way in," said Keliikoa.
During construction of the rail line, Kamehameha Highway had only two lanes each way. After repaving, it'll go back to three lanes each way. Work also includes road widening, improvements to intersections and traffic signal work. Crews will mostly work from 8 p.m. to 5 a.m. five to six days a week.
"There will be road closures. We've been working with HART to try to mitigate these impacts. Because we are doing a lot of the work at night, a lot of the impacts will be decreased substantially," said Matt Mooney, business manager for Road and Highway Builders, LLC.
HART says most of Farrington Highway in Waipahu has already been resurfaced so drivers down the line have much to look forward to.
"This has taken a long time to where we are here today," said city councilman Brandon Elefante.
Phase two of the Kamehameha Highway repaving project goes from Waiau to Aloha Stadium and is expected to be completed by fall 2019.
Councilman Elefante is holding a town hall meeting on the rail project. It's on October 30th at Pearlridge Elementary at 6:30 p.m.
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