LIHU‘E — The Hanalei Bridge has reopened to traffic, however the island will remain under flood watch until 6 p.m. Tuesday. The bridge reopened at about 10 a.m. and both lanes of Kuhio Highway in Hanalei opened by 1:10 p.m.
LIHU‘E — The Hanalei Bridge has reopened to traffic, however the island will remain under flood watch until 6 p.m. Tuesday.
The bridge reopened at about 10 a.m. and both lanes of Kuhio Highway in Hanalei opened by 1:10 p.m. As of about 2:30 p.m., the county described traffic in the area as extremely heavy.
In addition, motorists should be aware that heavy rains have filled the streams and fields in Hanalei, which could result in further flooding, a county press release said.
As a result of the bridge closure, Hanalei Elementary School was closed for the day, a Department of Education press release said. The school is expected to reopen tomorrow. All other Department of Education campuses are open.
School bus transportation services from Haena to Hanalei will not be operating. Students living in Hanalei to Haena who attend Kapa‘a Middle and Kapa‘a High schools will not have school bus services due to the bridge closure, the DOE release said.
Other impacts of the weather, according to the county, include reported mudslides, a broken pipeline in the Hanapepe Valley and the closure of the Kilauea HI-5 bottle redemption center. It will remain closed until weather conditions improve.
The Department of Water issued an urgent request for Hanapepe and ‘Ele‘ele residents and visitors to conserve water and to restrict water consumption to essential uses only. That includes cooking, bathing and toilet flushing.
“A primary water source for these areas, the pipeline presumably broke as a result of flood conditions,” the release said.
Residents are asked to notify their neighbors and encourage their participation. Water conservation efforts will reduce the likelihood of a water outage in the area, the release said.
Mudslides with falling rocks have also been reported in Kapa‘a and Kalaheo, and ponding is occurring in some areas. Motorists are urged to exercise caution particularly along hills and cliffs where the potential for landslides exists, the county press release said.
County spokeswoman Sarah Blane said she hasn’t learned of any weather-related vehicle accidents this morning.
For more information about the pipeline break, please call the Department of Water at 245-5455 during business hours, 7:45 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., or Police Dispatch at 241-1711 after business hours.
For updates on the reopening of the Kilauea HI-5 redemption center, please call the operator, Kaua’i Community Recycling Services, at 645-1676.
For traffic and weather updates, the public can call 241-1725.
