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Sweeping past toppled trees, high tide deposits sand on Honoapiilani Highway in Olowalu last October. The Maui News / MATTHEW THAYER photos
Pointing to sea level rise and king tide flooding impacts, the state Department of Transportation is proposing an approximately $4 million project to move two sections of Honoapi’ilani Highway in Lahaina about 12 feet mauka.
The Honoapi’ilani Highway Realignment Project would adjust two portions a 4,100-foot swath in Ukumehame from Mile Marker 12.97 to 13.11 and a 1,000-foot segment in Olowalu from about Mile Marker 13.72 to 14.49. The two sections are deemed “critical” by a recent state coastal report, which identified Hawaii’s roadways most threatened by erosion. Other improvements include removing trees and relocating utility poles.