Multiple roadwork projects to slow Hawaii Island traffic this week

Hawaiian Electric crews were set to replace a utility pole in Keopu, north Kona, on Thursday night, Oct. 2, 2025, and another round of pole work was scheduled in Kona from Oct. 6 to Oct. 17. Those utility jobs landed alongside state highway lane closures on Hawaii Island, where 18 closures were scheduled for the week of Oct. 4-10 and 14 more for the week of Oct. 26-31.

The work was part of a broader run of road projects affecting Hawaii Island, Oahu and Kauai as utility crews and highway contractors filled the calendar with overnight closures, roadway rehabilitation and emergency repairs. On the Big Island, the heaviest impacts were concentrated in north Kona and south Kona, where Hawaiian Electric posted traffic advisories for pole replacement work.

The Hawai‘i Department of Transportation maintained a Hawaii Island lane-closures page for state highways, and the notices showed a steady stream of planned lane restrictions rather than one isolated shutdown. Most of the Big Island closures were short-duration or overnight work windows, a standard approach meant to keep daytime traffic moving while crews handled maintenance and utility repairs.

That timing matters on an island where many communities depend on a small number of major corridors. Even modest lane reductions can ripple through commutes, deliveries and access to businesses and services, especially when multiple projects overlap along the same stretches of road. The October notices underscored how closely state and utility schedules shape travel on Hawaii Island, where a single closure can slow traffic well beyond the work zone.