The City and County of Honolulu announced Phase 9 of construction for the Kalapawai Roundabout Improvement project will start Wednesday.
During this phase, South Kalaheo Avenue will be closed in both directions between Kailua Road and Kuukama Street. The roundabout will remain open, and motorists traveling through South Kalaheo Avenue will be detoured to Kuulei Road.
The Department of Transportation Services expects to complete this phase by mid-June, with construction taking place from Monday to Friday at 7 a.m. to 5:30 p.m.
While DTS was working on Phase 2A, crews discovered a previously undocumented waterline alignment, which conflicts with planned drainage infrastructure in front of Kailua Beach Center. DTS is moving on to Phase 9, while developing a design solution for the utilities affected in this newly identified area. DTS will complete Phase 2A after Phase 9 is finished.
The federally funded project is broken up into nine phases, and improvements include adding raised crosswalks, a redesign of the roundabout’s center-island, new sidewalks, informational signage, and new drainage infrastructure to address frequent stormwater ponding, including permeable pavements, trench drains, pre-treatment tanks, and rain gardens.
The Honolulu Department of Transportation Services started doing roadwork on the Kalapawai Roundabout in Nov. 2022, and it was originally expected to be completed by November 2024.
Since the start of the project, the City has faced multiple unexpected hurdles, including heavy rains and flooding, uncovering ancient Hawaiian remains (iwi kūpuna), the discovery of undocumented gas lines and water laterals that needed to be moved, and more.
