A landslide hit Oʻahu's Kamehameha Highway at the popular Waimea Bay over the weekend — the second landslide to hit that area, as repair crews were already on site trying to restabilize an earlier landslide caused by the first Kona low storm.
HPR spoke with state Department of Transportation Director Ed Sniffen last week about the repairs and the decision to try to keep traffic flowing. He said that while soil movement is concerning, the road remained solid and stable.
“Out of an abundance of caution and to make sure that we had enough room for our contractors to work, we shut down the makai side lane thatʻs next to that slope, for about 200 feet,” Sniffen said Thursday.
The restabilization process involves clearing away loose debris, installing anchors into underground rock, and reinforcing the slope with concrete.
“Right now, that concrete or that shotcrete face that we're putting in is just that 6-inch temporary layer. That's to make sure that we can get to a point where we can open up the roadway fully,” Sniffen explained.
"Once that's done, our contractor will ... stabilize that area more and make sure that we can clear out some of the vegetation in that area and set up to shoot or cast a thicker wall that will stabilize that slope in the long term."
"When we put that wall in place, of course, nobody wants to look from the beach up at that slope and see gray concrete, so we're going to make sure that that outer layer is going to be sculpted and stained to ensure that it blends better into the slope than just a gray concrete wall."
The DOT plans to contraflow traffic along Kamehameha Highway over the next three weeks.
“This was a necessity, and we're trying to make sure that we expedite the stabilization as quickly as possible. So we're making sure we don't waste anybody's time while we're out there,” Sniffen said. “Just know, if you have to go through that area, give yourself more time."
Road updates can be found on the Hawaiʻi Department of Transportation website.
This story aired on The Conversation on March 23, 2026. The Conversation airs weekdays at 11 a.m. Jinwook Lee adapted this story for the web.
