The road to Hana is carved into the cliff side of a rainforest. Those combinations make the road susceptible to mudslides, rock falls and other damage in heavy rains. That’s why I recommend you check for road closures in my tips for driving the road to Hana.
You may recall that Hawaii was hit with some especially wet weather in early March, which damaged sections of the road to Hana. Fortunately, short-term fixes have allowed the road to remain open.
The Maui News reports that more than $10 million in repair work on Hana Highway is set to begin in June with projected completion in December. The repair projects will concentrate at mile markers 10.4 (near the Garden of Eden), 14 and 16. Road closures of “short-duration” will be planned around “lower-traffic hours”.
Reading between the lines, I don’t foresee this road work being a big obstacle for driving the road to Hana. Sounds like you might encounter some limited delays.
With the proposed work hours of 6 a.m. to 7 p.m. Mondays through Saturdays, it sounds like Sunday could potentially be a good day to plan your drive on the road to Hana. I say that with one caution, as The Maui News reports, “Some nighttime and Sunday work may also be scheduled.”
Before you drive the road to Hana, check out these two links for road work plans and closures:
- Hawaii Department of Transportation webpage for Maui lane closures
- County of Maui webpage of road closure notifications.
Sheila Beal
1 comment
We talk to the road crews all the time and assist in identifying issues which they are quick to resolve. If there are heavy rains some of us head out to check on different parts of the road at first light. We depend on the road being open so we are constantly assisting in any way we can to keep it that way.
Full road closures will not occur during daylight hours. There will be sections which will be down to a single lane but that is nothing new.
Drive safe and be courteous to the crews, they do the best with what they are given; 10 million doesn’t go as far as you would think.