HONOLULU STAR-BULLETIN / APRIL 2007 Crews survey and assess the landslide at Waimea Bay.

Waimea highway to close periodically beginning Monday

The state Department of Transportation expects to close Kamehameha Highway at Waimea Bay intermittently for about 10 minutes at a time, starting Monday during work to stabilize the rocky cliffs, the department announced.

The work by contractor Goodfellow Brothers Inc. will remove loose rocks and dirt from a cliff that was the source of a rockslide onto the highway April 7.

The new mitigation work was decided on after a recent inspection of the cliffs, a department news release said.

Work will be done behind a temporary protective netting about 36 feet wide and 100 feet long. Workers will use drills to loosen material from the hillside, the department said.

The emergency work will cost about $151,000 and is expected to follow this schedule with periodic 10-minute lane closures except as indicated:

» Monday, 9 a.m.-5 p.m.: Placement of heavy equipment.

» Tuesday: Construction of temporary protective screen; no lane closures expected.

» Wednesday to next Saturday, 7 a.m.-5 p.m.: Periodic 10-minute closures for removal of loose rocks and dirt.

» July 15: No lane closures.

» July 16, 7 a.m.-5 p.m.: Periodic 10-minute closures for material removal.

» July 17, 7 a.m.-5 p.m.: Work completed. Traffic halted for crews to remove temporary netting and construction equipment.