Highway 132 ready to reopen

HILO — The County of Hawaii Department of Public Works announced the reopening of Highway 132 in Pahoa will be noon Wednesday.

Highway 132, a major thoroughfare in the lower Puna district, was inundated with lava during the 2018 eruption. A 1.6 mile stretch of the upper portion of the highway and a 1.5 mile section of the lower portion of the road were covered in lava, leaving a kipuka, an isolated area surrounded by lava, in the mid-section of the highway. A 1,100-foot section of Government Beach Road from Four Corners to the lava inundation was also restored.

Highway 132 has been restored to its pre-inundation function with two paved travel lanes and shoulders. Rough grading included the excavation of 109,000 cubic yards of lava rock. Additional work included fine grading the roadway and shoulders, paving with asphalt concrete base, as well as installing striping, markers, and signage.

Initial construction costs were estimated at $12 million. However, design was done in-house and construction managed and inspected by the DPW Engineering Division, reducing costs to approximately $6.5 million, which is the amount the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) has obligated for reimbursement.