HONOLULU — Hawaii Department of Transportation announced in a news release Monday evening that it will not close the Kailua-bound lanes of Pali Highway overnight.

The HDOT crew completed the work to stabilize the slope next to the highway after the second tunnel, so the closure will not be needed.

The Hawaii DOT had earlier announced the closure of Pali Highway (Route 61) in the Kailua-bound direction starting at Waokanaka Street from 6 p.m. Monday evening for slope stabilization work as a result of heavy rains that started Monday afternoon.

Crews will be on-site from 6 p.m. to the early morning of May 14 to stabilize the slope adjacent to the highway after the second tunnel.

Heavy afternoon rains that began at about 12:40 p.m. Monday caused material to fall behind a fence on Pali Highway Kailua-bound after the second tunnel, according to HDOT.

This caused part of the fence to move into the right-hand lane, which HDOT has closed and is being monitored until work can begin this evening.

Crews will remove the loose material from behind the fence and check the stability of the slope, knocking down any additional loose material in a controlled manner.

Once work is completed and the road reopened, updates will be posted on HDOT’s Facebook and X/Twitter accounts and to the GovDelivery distribution channel.

Editor's note: This story has been updated with the annoucement that the Kailua-bound lanes will not be closed overnight. (May 13, 2024)