Though it looks fit for traffic, the acceleration lane at the intersection of Kaumuali’i Highway and Maluhia Road (Tree Tunnel) isn’t ready to open. And the state Department of Transportation Highways Division on Kaua’i is not sure when it will
Though it looks fit for traffic, the acceleration lane at the intersection of Kaumuali’i Highway and Maluhia Road (Tree Tunnel) isn’t ready to open. And the state Department of Transportation Highways Division on Kaua’i is not sure when it will be done.
“They’re still working on it,” area project engineer Rudy Raralio said of the general contractor. “It’s not really ready for actual use” until some “incompletions” are finished. “It’s almost ready to be used, but not quite,” Raralio said. As of Dec. 26, he didn’t have a tentative opening date. Striping and, potentially, other work needs to be completed before the state accepts the lane, he explained. The new portion of Kaumuali’i Highway is designed to make it easier for Lihu’e-bound traffic coming off Maluhia Road to merge with the highway’s eastbound traffic. Staff Writer Paul C. Curtis can be reached at pcurtis@pulitzer.net or 245-3681 (ext. 224).
