An overnight road closure to clean up several loose trees on the slopes surrounding Oʻahu's Pali Highway has been completed — allowing traffic to resume as normal.
Around 3 a.m. on Tuesday, the state's Department of Transportation announced that the side of the Pali Highway heading east had reopened after crews scaled and removed about three loads of debris.
The department announced Monday evening that a tree had fallen into the far right Kailua-bound lane and police would be blocking traffic until its repair. It took to Twitter to notify motorists that the incident occurred after the highway's second tunnel.
UPDATE: Oahu #hitraffic HDOT crews on scene at Pali Highway Kailua bound where a large tree fell onto the roadway. The left lane should reopen shortly after safety crew blocks off the right lane on the Kailua side of the Pali Highway after the second tunnel. pic.twitter.com/rVJONEEvtz
— Hawaii DOT (@DOTHawaii) February 28, 2023
The department asked motorists to take alternative routes such as the Likelike, H-3 or Kalanianaʻole Highway starting around 9 p.m. Vehicles on the Pali were turned around at Waokanaka Street starting mid-afternoon.
The incident comes almost three weeks after a large boulder and several smaller rocks slid down the walls of Kamehameha Highway near Waimea Bay. The department closed the highway going both directions on Feb. 25 to remove the original concrete wall and begin fencing repairs.
The state has ranked highways from most to least at risk for rockfall:
The National Weather Service predicts strong trade winds to continue through Thursday, with the most rain heading toward East Maui. The wet season in Hawaiʻi has been considered the culprit for rockfalls, specifically when water seeps into boulder cracks and causes them to weaken.
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