The Hawai‘i Department of Transportation (HDOT) has announced a full closure of the northbound lanes of Kamehameha Highway between Waipahu Street and Waipi‘o Uka Street. The closure will begin at 3 a.m. on Saturday, October 25, and is scheduled to end at 8 p.m. on Sunday, October 26. During this period, traffic will be redirected using the southbound lanes, allowing one lane in each direction. The Lumi‘au‘au Street inlet and outlet at Kamehameha Highway will also be closed, with detours routed to Lumi‘aina Street.
This closure is necessary for the safety of students participating in a mural painting project organized by HDOT in collaboration with the Hawai‘i Department of Education and local artists. The mural will cover nearly three-quarters of a mile along Kamehameha Highway between Waipahu and Waipi‘o.
According to HDOT, “close to 100 students from Pearl City, Mililani and Waipahu High Schools will help transform the heavily used and highly visible roadway into a visual story about the significance of the Waipi‘o Ahupua‘a.” The students’ work will be supervised by local artists Blythe Yoshikane, Jesse Velasquez, and Solomon Enos.
In preparation for this project, HDOT removed old coatings from three walls designated as canvases for the mural and applied primer and base color coats reflecting a mauka-to-makai color scheme. Artists are currently sketching designs ahead of the student painting sessions.
Special duty police officers will manage traffic control at the intersection of Kamehameha Highway and Lumi‘āina Street during the closure. Electronic message boards have been installed along Kamehameha Highway to inform drivers about the planned closure and detour.
HDOT advises motorists to comply with all posted traffic controls and drive carefully near student participants.
