State seeks permits for
Windward cliff workThe Castle Junction project
aims to prevent mudslides
The state is awaiting final permits before it can begin scaling back the cliff at Castle Junction to prevent mudslides from washing onto Kalanianaole Highway.
Clearing up a prior obstacle, two landowners, Hawaii Pacific University and the Teixeira Family Trust, signed an agreement last week with the state to allow workers access to the property, said Scott Ishikawa, Department of Transportation spokesman.
The department plans to scale back the cliff overhang at the intersection to a 25-degree slope from 80 degrees. On May 20, about five truckloads of mud and dirt slid down to Kalanianaole Highway, forcing the closure of the right-turn lane to Kamehameha Highway.
Since then, heavy rain has caused several landslides. Earlier this month, mud and debris, including a tree, piled to the top of concrete barriers set up to prevent landslides from hitting the highway.
The state will clean up the debris from the recent slides Monday and Tuesday, and close the town-bound right-turn lane to Kaneohe between 9 a.m. and 2:30 p.m. Motorists will be allowed to turn right at the intersection.
By the end of the month, the state hopes to begin the grading project, which includes repaving the right lane of the town-bound portion of the highway, and adding an 8-foot shoulder and a 6-foot drainage gutter.
Contractor Goodfellow Brothers must still secure permits and come up with a disposal site for the estimated 24,000 truckloads of dirt and debris that will be removed.