Work paused on highway realignment at Laniakea, as lawmaker pitches ‘locals only’ parking

LANIAKEA BEACH (HawaiiNewsNow) - Work to realign Kamehameha Highway at Laniakea Beach has been put on hold after multiple burial sites were found in the area, according to the area’s state representative.

The state transportation director said the original project completion date of Spring 2026 has been pushed back, potentially to 2028.

“I think we have not only a personal responsibility, but also a legal responsibility to make sure that when we find human remains, we treat them with the utmost respect and follow all of our laws,” said state Rep. Sean Quinlan, who represents the area.

Quinlan said there’s no word on when construction would resume.

In the meantime, he’s pushing for a new program to help alleviate traffic along that stretch of Kamehameha Highway. Quinlan wants to make the new parking lot open to locals only, and use shuttles to bring visitors to see the turtles that often rest on the beach.

“We want to find a spot that’s just outside of Haleiwa for them to park, put them in a bus, take them to Lani’s and have them come back,” he said. “That’s the goal, to get rental cars off the road.”

Those rental cars have contributed to major traffic problems on the North Shore.

“We do love the idea of the shuttle because we like the idea of getting visitors to park in Haleiwa, shop in Haleiwa, take a shuttle, which doesn’t impact the traffic as much, go and have their turtle experience,” said Carol Philips of the North Shore Chamber of Commerce.

There have also been safety issues as visitors cross the highway between the parking lot and the beach.

Quinlan said the shuttle would be similar to the one that’s been in place on Kauai’s North Shore, and has helped relieve decades of overuse and overcrowding there.

Some visitors to Laniakea welcomed the proposal.

“I actually think it’s a great idea,” said Andy Lowy of Arizona. “I like the idea of protecting the area for the locals, and I think taking a shuttle’s a small thing to do for the tourists, and I’d be all for that. I think it’s a great proposal, actually.”

“There’s a volunteer group that educates people about the turtles on the beach, and if they worked with the shuttle and made it part of that education, then it would help, I think,” said Washington state visitor Frank Fischer.

“There really is some opportunities for some win-wins in this, where we can have a healthy visitor industry and enable our locals -- who are a very big priority -- to be able to get to one end of the community to the other,” said Philips.