Highway 11 reopens near Puna after crash closes Volcano route

Highway 11 near milepost 22 in Puna reopened at 6:15 p.m. Monday after a motor vehicle collision shut the Volcano route for several hours on Hawaii Island. The closure briefly blocked a key stretch of Highway 11 used by drivers heading through Volcano and the surrounding Puna area.

The Hawaii Department of Transportation said the roadway in the vicinity of milepost 22 near Volcano was closed for the next several hours because of the crash. That closure affected travel on the Big Island’s main southbound corridor into Volcano, where Highway 11 carries residents, workers and visitors between Puna and Hawaii Volcanoes National Park.

By late afternoon, the road was open again. Big Island Now reported in an update at 6:15 p.m. Monday that the Hawaii Police Department had reopened Highway 11 in Puna after the collision-related closure. The reopening restored access along the Volcano route after the interruption earlier in the day.

Highway 11 is the primary route through this part of Puna, and milepost 22 marks the stretch near Volcano where the incident tied up traffic. With the Hawaii Police Department handling the reopening, drivers were able to resume travel through the area once the scene cleared. The route was back in service Monday evening after hours of disruption.