In Hawaii, and it seems more than in other places, the highway can be suddenly closed for various reasons. Our thoughts always go out to those injured. The frustration is likened to flying across the Pacific, where diversion points are limited. Driving isn’t always carefree, as pictured above yesterday on Maui. During those times, you may have no choice but to turn off your motor and make new friends. During a recent highway closure we experienced between Lihue and Poipu, people started handing out frozen treats that were melting.
All this comes on the heels of our article Friday about Driving In Hawaii 2023 | “The Worst State.”
While on Oahu, there are generally alternative routes to escape traffic delays, that’s not always true on the neighboring islands. Now that I’ve said this, today may be an issue on Oahu for those trying to attend the huge-wave-driven “Eddie” at Waimea Bay on the north shore. Which we would love to have attended had we not been totally fearful of getting there and back unscathed.
The highway from West Maui to Kahului closed Saturday.
Yesterday a dump truck on Maui overturned on the Pali of the Honoapililani Highway that goes from West Maui towards Kahului. Emergency units arrived at the accident at approximately 9:30 AM on Saturday. Police were eventually able to set up a shared one-lane access while the accident scene was cleared. That took nearly six hours to be completed.
Visitor Glenna was stuck in the accident traffic. She reported (excerpted): “We left Kaanapali at 10:30 this morning on our way to Kihei. We are still not in Kihei – it’s 2pm. This is ridiculous. We heard that a dump truck flipped over somewhere ahead. Who knows. People are missing flights. Got out of the car (this is standstill traffic) and chatted with someone who left three hours ahead for their flight at 3pm and they will miss it now. Plus, they’re running out of gas. Taking this long to clear an accident is not ok.”
Editor Jeff, not long ago, also took the drive from Kaanapali to Kahului to catch a flight. He planned for the 27-mile drive to take a solid two hours (and he stopped for coffee and food before taking off). Well, wrong, it took nearly three hours, and he just about missed his flight. There was no accident, just incredible traffic. It was completely nerve-wracking.
The road to Waimea Canyon And Kokee State Park was closed Saturday too.
Yesterday your editors were heading to cover an event in Kokee State Park. It was late in the day, and we were surprised that there were simply no cars exiting the park. We learned that a tree fell across the road early in the day, which resulted in a widespread power outage in the parks and the only road in until about 4 PM. The event we attended was a pop-up dinner at Kokee Lodge, starting at 6 pm, that almost got canceled.
Were you caught in one of these delays on Saturday?
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Roy says
Got to say,there have been times I have worried about catching a morning flight out of Lihue. There’s always a lot of traffic backup coming from Poipu into Lihue in the early morning hours. It did not used to be that way. But in recent years, it’s been very congested.
Aloha
Adam M says
If it’s your loved one trapped in a vehicle accident, you don’t want the rescue personnel rushing to get them out to open traffic up. Sometimes extrications are dangerous, complicated and difficult and to ensure the patient’s life may take time. As a career firefighter for over 27 years, I can tell you that stopping traffic is the only safe way, too often opening up lanes leads to responders and apparatus hit by gawking drivers not paying attention as they pass through accident scenes.
If you’re a visitor you should know the potential issues of where your going. If your local, well…
Michele L says
Just… wow. People’inconvenienced’ because you missed your flight(s). Plane isn’t going anywhere if the flight crew is stuck in the same traffic. Between traffic accidents and brush fires, roads get closed. Big deal. Wait it out, turn around and go have lunch. Reschedule your flights. Stay another day. Hit the beach. Show some Aloha and be thankful no one got seriously injured. Feel more Aloha for the residents trying to get to work to cater to you… the tourist
Nash B. says
Hate to say it, if only because I know I’ll get shouted down for any of 100 reasons-yes I know tourists are bringing their luggage/unfamiliar with the area. Yes I know how warm it can and that people are with the kids/going to work etc etc etc yes I understand time crunches. But at some point there has to be a line drawn somewhere to where it is understood that the problem is that there are too many cars on the road, and that alternative methods of travel need to be thought of. Bicycle especially. I did live on Maui and did use this as one of my modes of travel. The issues listed above are not going to magically disappear. If anything they will continue to get even worse.
Eva B says
I used to walk, take the public bus or occasional lyft or weekly car rental for most of my time in Maui for 3 years before buying a Tesla and even now, I mostly use my car for work and shopping. Otherwise, i walk to the ocean and swim or paddle and wish I could make it all the way to Molokai! (PS: not a joke!)
Nash B says
Wow there used to be a paddle race from Maui to Molokai? Kihei Canoe Club folks….I am not a water baby(ouch) but I believe I’ve heard of this. Left Maui before COVID so don’t know what is going on in 2023.
Eva B says
People who make it sound so easy to rebook a flight and stay another day have obviously never left the island or someone else took care of their travel arrangements …most of those people coming here do have jobs back on the mainland and this is the only vacation they take for a year
Robin p says
The Maui accident was on the only road that connects all of West Maui, Lahaina, Kaanapali, Honokowai , Kahana, Napili and Kapalua to the airport and the Maui hospital.
3 ambulances navigated through the traffic jam.
Many West Maui residents and visitors missed their flights and other commitments.
Eva B says
Well, there is the scenic route just North of Kapalua leading to Kahului …however, it’s not for the faint at heart and the only reason it’s not too dangerous is because not many people drive it.
Rich says
I have to say that driving standards in Hawaii are very mixed. I am always surprised by the number of folks shooting red lights and paying no attention to speed limits, equally some fearful drivers doing 10 miles an hour signaling a left turn and then turning right. Yes the dumb tourists stop on a curve to take photos too. Perhaps as there is a campaign for ocean safety we should have one for road safety. Far better to reduce accidents than find ways round them. Oh and as an afterthought road safety applies to scooters and pedestrians too. If you leap off the kerb in the dark you can guess what will happen. But let us do it with a kind campaign not enforcement muscle as they do in the mainland. Don’t drink and drive and don’t drive dumb
Eva B says
Wow! This is not something you can plan for. I can’t believe we didn’t hear more about this, but is shows we need alternative routes to the airport from West Maui to Kahului, unless they add some flights from the Kapalua Airport to neighboring islands.
Jorge S. says
Not to mention traffic stopped for filming – even on Federally funded roads (the other 49 states see fit to comply with the law, and don’t shut down interstates…).
GIGI says
Travel at your own risk!!!!!!
BJ says
20 years ago a tractor trailer rig flipped over with wall board. At that time I suggested to rebuild and use the old Pali road as an emergency route. At least traffic would flow slowly. Nobody listened! Auwe! History repeats itself and still nobody listens!
Frank P. says
This time of year it isn’t all that uncommon for traffic to crawl across the pali for no apparent reason other than more cars than the road can seemingly handle. Season and time of day make a difference. Once the traffic stops altogether, or stops and you can see they are doing 1-way somewhere ahead, that means there’s been an accident (or there’s a brush fire), and you are going to be there a while. It is inconvenient, but spare a thought for whoever was involved in that accident. Then you can be annoyed about missing your flight, which is also very inconvenient, but not as inconvenient as the people injured in the accident find it.
Luke B says
Two hours stuck in traffic and I think one of the lucky ones to get past the crane as it was setting up to move the dump truck. Just made our 1:15 flight to LAX on Delta which was fully sold, but half empty because of the accident. Fortunately, no one was hurt.
And candidly, kinda wish we had missed our flight because now we are back in the cold..lol
Great time in Maui. Thank you for your hospitality! Mahalo!
Linda B says
Last April people were driving worse then normal. Since COVID people’s attitudes are scary. Not going to Maui this year. Continuing problems. Some people some drought related and just not following law. Smoking drinking on beach garbage everywhere. Beaches along roadsides. People not respecting they are visitors.
S. E. says
The tourists are complaining because it took too long to turn over a huge dump truck that required a crane to remove?? It is an island with one real road to the west side. Ask the locals how they feel about being stuck in traffic everyday because Maui is extremely overpopulated and there are far too many visitors in rental cars clogging up the roads looking at whales or whatever. Two days ago I witnessed a bunch of tourists parked mauka of the highway and running across the road in front of cars to see whales and sunset on the Pali! So ridiculous and will cause plenty accidents like this one. But the tourists are inconvenienced…
Susie M says
Other states manage traffic, what is wrong with Hawaii?
Kay M says
Not all states manage traffic well – have you ever been on I-95 south of Washington, DC? The Commonwealth of Virginia does not know how to manage traffic. Toll roads that run in one direction cannot be changed if there is an accident in the other direction. Rather be stuck on a road in Hawaii than on a road with 3 lanes sitting still.
Keith S says
I am from Northern Virginia and you are 100% correct.
Frank P. says
Hawaii is made up of islands, so finite amount of land suitable for building roads, finite amount of money for building new roads or maintaining the ones we have, population has grown faster than the capacity of the infrastructure.
Allison M says
Efficiency is never a priority for public investment. Only when crisis proportions are reached do taxpayers support investment in efficient infrastructure. And the virtue signaling about the relative pain of those injured to the frustrations of those inconvenienced is just plain divisive, serving only to show how one is more compassionate than the next guy. Let that finger-wagging stuff go … seriously.
Kauidoug says
If you’re caught in of these traffic stops then call wherever you’re going and explain and chances are you are not the only one. Anyone living in Hawaii knows things happen and that’s part of the privilege of living here. Turn the car off and hopefully you’re in a beautiful spot and make friends with people who were strangers before.
Debbie K says
We left Kaanapali for Kihei at 9:30am Saturday and we too were stuck in traffic 2 hours. As we approached the accident and were stopped by the crane and flat bed truck we asked the police officer if anyone was seriously injured and thankfully not. That made us feel better but we still felt bad for those missing flights We were lucky enough to get through as they were setting up the crane, barely and probably one of the last. Three hours later we passed the dump truck on the flatbed driving with the crane so it must have been a long extraction. Again, sorry for those people unaware of traffic. Things to learn from your Beat! Thank you, Debbie
Don K. says
Even highway accident cleanups in Hawaii run on HST–Hawaiian Slow Time!!
Marc says
Just another reality that Maui is over populated with whining tourist,, been here 3 months for work, can wait to leave.
Tony says
If it wasn’t for the whinny tourists the Hawaiian economy would bust and 75% of its population would have to leave the Islands looking for work With no whining tourists paying the exorbitant prices for hotels, rental cars, activities and tourist taxes, the State government would need to increase sales, property, real estates and unemployment taxes for all its residents. How much did the people and businesses thrive when Hawaii banned tourism during COVID? How many of the small businesses went bust when the whinny tourists didn’t visit. Wait to your Governor passes the law to tax all visitors to the state at the airport $150.00 each. Those whinny visitors will find there’s many other cheaper and more appreciative locations with sun beaches
Kay M says
It is inconvenient and annoying but it is difficult to have alternate routes on islands. On the mainland, there are no excuses for no alternate routes. Living 45 miles south of Washington DC we have that issue everyday. Some days we can take the trip up to the DC area and we are there in less than an hour. But most times, you have add an hour or two to your time still miss your flight out of Reagan National. It is miserable no matter where you live.
Diana B says
A few years ago we got caught in one of those Maui Highway accident closures as well on the way to the airport from Kahana. After calls to Alaska we were able to get a later flight but we were told when we called that some of the flight crew was also caught in the 4 hour delay in getting to the airport.