Additional westbound closures on Saturday, Feb. 14 to support waterline tie in for H-1 Eastbound Improvements

HONOLULU – The Hawai‘i Department of Transportation (HDOT) notifies drivers of the addition of a westbound H-1 Freeway closure to the planned continuous weekend closure on the Interstate H-1 Freeway in the eastbound direction between the Middle Street merge and the Likelike Highway off-ramp from 9 p.m. on Friday, Feb. 13 through 4:30 a.m. on Monday, Feb. 16.  

Two lanes on the westbound H-1 Freeway between the Palama overpass and Likelike On-Ramp will be closed from 10 p.m. on the evening of Saturday, Feb. 14 through 7 a.m. on Sunday, Feb. 15 to complete waterline tie-in work spanning the freeway. There will be two lanes closed in each direction during this time.  

The decision was made to combine the two closures to maximize productivity during this continuous weekend closure, and reduce time and work needed to complete waterline relocations.  

Associated closures will include: 

• Single right-lane closure on H-1 eastbound between the Ola Lane Overpass and the Middle Street merge, to provide a safe taper at freeway speeds for the work zone. 

• Closure of the King Street on-ramp to the H-1 eastbound. 

• Single right-lane closure on the H-1 Airport Viaduct eastbound as it approaches the merge. 

• The closure of the two right lanes of the H-1 eastbound between the Middle Street merge and the Likelike Highway off-ramp. 

• Single right-lane closure on H-1 westbound between Palama off-ramp and Houghtailing off-ramp 

• Two right-lane closure on H-1 westbound between Houghtailing off-ramp and Likelike on-ramp 

• Closure of Halona St. On-ramp and the Likelike off-ramp. All other ramps will be open in westbound direction.  

The closure is needed to tie in the new 36-inch waterline being constructed as part of the Interstate Route H-1 Eastbound Improvements, Ola Lane Overpass to Likelike Highway off-ramp. Homes and businesses serviced by this waterline are currently being served by bypass lines and will not experience a loss in service during the tie in. 

Special duty police officers will be on-site to assist with traffic control and safety procedures. Electronic message boards will be posted to notify motorists of closure information. Weekend closures for Feb. 20-23, Feb. 27 – March 2 and March 6-9 have been set as contingency dates in the event of weather or construction delays. 

The Interstate Route H-1 Eastbound Improvements, Ola Lane Overpass to Likelike Highway off-ramp is designed to improve safety and efficiency on the interstate by eliminating a merge and adding emergency shoulders. The Gulick Avenue Overpass, currently the lowest vertical clearance on O‘ahu, will be rehabilitated through the project and will gain approximately 6 inches in height. 

The estimated completion date for the Eastbound H-1 Freeway Improvements Project is October 2027, weather permitting. For more information, please view the project website at https://h1widening.com/ 

For a full list of lane closures scheduled on state roadways, please visit the HDOT website at https://hidot.hawaii.gov/highways/roadwork/. 

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