HONOLULU — The Hawaii Department of Transportation provided an update on the closure of the Honolulu-bound lanes of Pali Highway (Route 61) in a news release Friday. The lanes from Castle Junction (where the highway intersects with Kamehameha Highway) through the vicinity of Nuuanu Pali Drive will reopen by 7 p.m. Sunday, Dec. 24.

The lanes were closed to traffic Wednesday because of a landslide that occurred approximately 100 yards past the second tunnel.

According to the release, crews on Friday removed debris and unstable trees. HDOT stated that crews will continue to clear debris from the slope and will clean the road and replace safety reflectors before the lanes reopen.

There may be intermittent single-lane closures on the Kailua-bound side of Pali Highway to aid in the debris removal. The department stated that these closures should not last longer than 30 minutes at a time. 

Motorists are advised to use Likelike Highway or the H-3 Freeway to travel between Windward Oahu and Honolulu until further notice.

HDOT also stated that additional slope stabilization measures will be scheduled.

Editor's note: this story has been updated with information about the lanes reopening on Sunday. (Dec. 22, 2023)