Castle Junction hill
project in final phase

The state project to cut back an eroding hillside at Castle Junction on Windward Oahu enters the "home stretch" this weekend, according to Department of Transportation spokesman Scott Ishikawa.

But that will mean lane closures tomorrow through Tuesday so the contractor can repave the right turn lane of Kalanianaole Highway onto Kamehameha Highway.

To do the paving, the contractor needs an extra lane, Ishikawa said. That means the right town-bound lane of Kalanianaole Highway between Kapaa Quarry Road and Castle Junction and the right-turn lane will be closed during the following times:

Ishikawa said the crew will take Thanksgiving weekend off and return the following week to finish up. He said there will probably be lane closures during that follow-up week but added that the crew is trying to finish the major work by mid-December, weather permitting.

Ishikawa also said that pothole crews will be sent to fill the holes created by rain in the past two weeks in the Kailua-bound lanes between Castle Junction and Kapaa Quarry Road.

He added that the entire stretch of highway between the quarry road and Castle Junction will be repaved sometime next year.

The $7.8 million hillside project was started in February after a series of small landslides in late spring 2003. The project's completion was delayed several months because of bad weather.