Work to restore the lava-covered Highway 137 remains on schedule, despite a minor snag.
At the first of a planned series of monthly community briefings about the ongoing project to reopen a 3.64-mile stretch of Highway 137 in lower Puna, Department of Public Works spokeswoman Sherise Kanae-Kane said the work is still on track to be completed by March 2026.
This progress is despite complications discovered by contractor Isemoto Contracting Co.
Public Works Project Manager Alex Kalawe said a preliminary site investigation found a discrepancy between plans drawn up for the project and the reality of the site.
While Kalawe did not go into detail about the nature of the discrepancy, he said he believes it should be resolved within a month, and any impacts on the timeline will be determined depending on that resolution.
The scope of the project remains the same: clearing the highway at the “Four Corners” intersection with Highway 132, where it was inundated with lava during the 2018 Kilauea eruption. Crews will grade existing lava rock, install new pavement and a new 6-inch waterline.
The project officially began Sept. 24 with a blessing ceremony. Its total price tag is $17.8 million, most of which will be borne by the Federal Emergency Management Agency, with the county providing $4.45 million.
This construction on Highway 137 is the first of four segments of road restoration projects DPW has planned for the area.
The next will restore roads and waterlines on Upper and Lower Pohoiki Road. Kanae-Kane said bids for that project will open on Dec. 12.
The third and fourth phases are still in the design phase and will respectively restore another segment of Highway 137 from Pohoiki Road to MacKenzie State Recreation area, and a segment of Lighthouse Road.
Kanae-Kane said DPW will host monthly online meetings to update the public about the progress of construction every third Friday until it is complete or until the department deems them unnecessary.
The next meeting scheduled will take place Dec. 20, and currently the final meeting scheduled is on July 18, 2025.
Residents with questions or concerns about the project can submit them through an online form at tinyurl.com/5xra6fw4. Questions submitted there can be addressed at future meetings.
Email Michael Brestovansky at mbrestovansky@hawaiitribune-herald.com.