An intersection that has been a thorn in the side for South Kona drivers is showing signs of the transformation to come.
Hawaii Electric Light Co. crews are removing utility poles and relocating distribution lines at the junction of Highway 11 and Napoopoo Road. The work is a prelude to major reconstruction of an intersection that has been a safety hazard for decades.
In the not too distant future, northbound drivers on Highway 11 trying to make the left turn onto Napoopoo won’t have to dodge oncoming traffic nor crank their wheels hard over to make the sharp, steep turn — all while causing traffic to back up behind them. And vehicles merging from Napoopoo onto the highway won’t have to dodge cars at the narrow, poorly aligned intersection.
In the meantime, though, road work and traffic delays are ahead.
The HELCO crews will finish up their tasks sometime this week. Shortly thereafter, Hawaiian Telcom and Oceanic Time Warner Cable will come in for further work, leaving the area open for Isemoto Contracting to begin excavating, Public Works Director Warren Lee said.
The $13.1 million intersection project will have turning lanes and traffic signals linking the new Mamalahoa Highway bypass extension to Highway 11. The intersection will be positioned slightly south of the current one. Also south of the current intersection, a new detour route will be constructed between Napoopoo and Highway 11 to serve traffic during the coming months of construction.
The remaining 2.2 miles of the bypass between Napoopoo and Halekii Street are being built through ranch land, Lee said. Workers have cleared and grubbed about a mile of land to the south of Halekii Street to make way for the concrete roadway. Crushed rock from that $14.8 million alignment project will be used to build an embankment at the intersection.
“Right now, contractors are working 56-hour weeks,” Lee said. “It’s moving.”
The long-awaited extension was most recently delayed for several months this fall as the county waited for the State Historic Preservation Division to review a supplemental survey for historical structures at the intersection.
Once the earth moving begins at the intersection, motorists should start expecting delays. The county will be asking for driver patience as they navigate the work scene.
“There is going to be major work at that intersection,” Lee said. “It’s going to be slow going. Everyone has to be careful and pay attention to the flagging and signage.”
The end result, slated for early spring 2016, will leave commuters with more options and hopefully, lower blood pressure.
“It’s horrible,” said the county’s traffic division chief Ron Thiel, referring to the current intersection. “It’s hard getting out onto Mamalahoa and it’s hard to make a left to get down onto Napoopoo.”
The major benefit of the new intersection and bypass will be in speeding up the so-called “Kainaliu crawl,” as drivers take the second option for getting into the Alii Drive and makai areas of Keauhou.
“This will make it much better,” Thiel said.