Lane shifts begin on Hilo's Kīlauea Avenue for school safety project

Lane shifts and one-lane closures will begin Monday on Kīlauea Avenue between Ohea Street and Puainako Street in Hilo as crews start the Safe Routes to Waiākea Schools improvement project. The County of Hawaii says traffic will stay open in both directions during work hours, but drivers should expect rolling disruptions from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. Monday through Friday through the end of 2027.

The work lands on one of South Hilo’s busiest school and commuter corridors, where parents, bus riders, neighborhood traffic and through-traffic already mix along the roadway. The county says the project is meant to make walking and biking safer for students who now navigate a stretch of road that needs sidewalks, curb ramps and better drainage. Nearby businesses and school pickup and drop-off traffic are likely to feel the slowdown first, especially during the daytime construction window when one lane in each direction will remain open.

Jas. W. Glover, Ltd. is the contractor for the job. The county said the work will include concrete sidewalks, drainage improvements, retaining walls, curb ramps, driveway reconstruction and utility adjustment or relocation, a list that signals a long and technically complex build along the corridor. A separate county notice described the broader project area as an approximately 1.7-mile segment of Kīlauea Avenue between Ohea Street and Haihai Street.

County records show the project has moved through the budget process for months. Bill 150, passed by the County Council on May 20, 2026, added $50,344 in state grant money for Safe Routes to School non-infrastructure work, while ordinance materials set aside $1,386,656 for DPW - Safe Routes to Waiākea Schools - Kīlauea Avenue Part 1. The project is federally funded, and a prior notice asked Native Hawaiian organizations and descendants with ties to the area to respond within 30 days, reflecting the consultation work that accompanied the road plans.

The Kīlauea Avenue job also fits into a broader county push around school access in Hilo. In October 2025, Public Works Engineering Division Chief Keone Thompson told council members the county would be working on the Waiākea Complex and Hilo Union Elementary School in the future, underscoring that the current lane shifts are part of a larger safety buildout for students who walk these roads every day.