A rock slide shut Kalanianaole Highway between Sandy Beach and the Lanai Lookout for about two hours yesterday.

Police closed the highway in both directions before 1 p.m. when large chunks of rocks and debris fell on the shoulder on the eastbound side of the highway.

A pile of rocks and debris estimated to be 8 feet high and 10 feet wide fell within the guardrail, said Tammy Mori, spokeswoman for the state Department of Transportation.

Crew members from the department quickly responded and cleared the debris by 2:25 p.m. and police reopened the roadway, she said.

An engineer was to return to the site today to further assess the cliffside.

Oahu district maintenance crew members have been working around the clock responding to damage caused by the heavy downpour, Mori said. So far, in this week alone, crew members patched almost 2,000 potholes along with other storm-related tasks, she said.