HI: Another Lahaina Bypass segment open

[oscar]

Another segment of the Lahaina Bypass (HI 3000) opened earlier this week. This extends the highway south from its former south end at Hokiokio Place to a new direct connection with the Honoapiilani Highway (HI 30).

Work is still being done at the south end, including a new South Connector Road to take southbound HI 30 traffic onto the new alignment. At that time or maybe already (local media reports indicate part of the old HI 30 alignment is already closed south of Kai Hele Ku St., at least temporarily, except perhaps for beach access), a small part of HI 30 will be moved onto part of the new alignment.

I still need to figure out where that stands before I amend the HB to extend HI 3000 and realign HI 30, as well as:

-- the alignment of the new South Connector Road (not shown in online mapping, but project plans give me something to work with);

-- whether it gets a more Hawaiian name (as happened with HI 8930 on Oahu, just before it opened); and

-- the actual alignment of the new bypass south of Kai Hele Ku St. Project overview map suggests that segment's alignment is farther inland and more than a half-mile longer than shown in OSM/Mapnik, and more closely follows what Google Maps shows.

The north end of the Lahaina Bypass, north of Keawe St. toward Kaanapali, is as yet unbuilt. Unhappiness in Lahaina with increased congestion on Keawe St., between HI 30 and the north end of HI 3000, might goad Hawaii DOT to expedite completion of the bypass to relieve the Keawe St. clusterfork.

[oscar]

The Southern Connector Road (still has that insipid name, but Hawaii DOT indicates a new "common name" might be in the works) opened to traffic yesterday. It still is not displayed on online maps, but I have enough info from project plans to map the changes to HI 30 and HI 3000, while final work on the HI 30/HI 3000 connection is completed in the next few weeks. The Southern Connector is southeast of Kai Hele Ku St., which is shown online.

The connection will be an odd one, due to the RIRO intersection between the Bypass and the Southern Connector that does not offer a direct connection for WB traffic. EB traffic from HI 30 will take the Southern Connector to continue to Maalaea, bypassing a to-be-closed short segment of old HI 30. However WB traffic from Maalaea will have to take Kai Hele Ku St. (or U-turn there, if legal, and catch the Southern Connector) to continue on HI 30 to downtown Lahaina. Kai Hele Ku will also be the connector between EB HI 30 and WB HI 3000, though EB HI 3000 traffic can take either Kai Hele Ku or the Southern Connector to go WB on HI 30. I think it best to include the Southern Connector in the minor reroute of HI 30, even though most WB traffic will use Kai Hele Ku instead.

[mapcat]

So when's your re-clinching trip? 

Semi-related note: has Kilauea eaten any highways this month?

[oscar]

Semi-related note: has Kilauea eaten any highways this month?

There's a closure on HI 130, the route that has taken the brunt of lava damage over the decades (multiple temporary closures and permanent truncations). But that seems to be a precautionary closure, with pavement cracks that could be fixed fairly quickly if and when the situation stabilizes.

I plan to revisit Hawaii this year (at least Maui and the Big Island), probably combined with a trip to California for my 40th college reunion.