DOT adds no-crossing signs on Kuhio Highway in Kapaa

The Hawaii Department of Transportation has posted new “No Pedestrian Crossing” and “Use Crosswalk” signs along Kūhiō Highway fronting Kountry Kitchen in Kapaa, placing the warning on a stretch where pedestrian safety has been a recurring concern.

The signs went up July 16 as part of the state’s broader pedestrian safety effort. The message is straightforward: people should cross Kūhiō Highway only at marked crosswalks, not mid-block or wherever traffic gaps appear.

That warning lands in a part of Kauai where serious crashes have already raised alarms. Hawaii News Now reported a pedestrian was seriously injured June 20, 2026, in a crash near the intersection of Laukona Street and Kūhiō Highway. In 2019, Kūhiō Highway in Kapaa reopened after two pedestrians were critically injured in a pedestrian accident.

The state’s own pedestrian safety materials push the same rule, telling people to cross only at marked crosswalks or intersections. Kauai County Planning’s Safe Routes to School guidance says the same thing, instructing students and families to use crosswalks and cross only at marked crosswalks or intersections.

On Kūhiō Highway, the new signs are meant to change behavior on both sides of the road. Pedestrians are being pushed toward the nearest marked crossing instead of stepping into traffic where visibility and reaction time are weaker. Drivers, in turn, are being reminded that crossing should be concentrated in designated spots, where they are more likely to anticipate someone in the roadway.

For Kapaa, the signs are a visible reminder that the strip of Kūhiō Highway fronting Kountry Kitchen remains under close watch. The state has put the burden back on safer crossing habits, and the road’s recent history shows why that message is being repeated.