Public meeting set for Kapaa road improvements on June 23

Kapaa drivers, pedestrians and nearby businesses will get a chance on Tuesday, June 23, to weigh in on a long-running Kukui Street and Olohena Road project meant to ease congestion, improve walking routes and address stormwater problems in town. The county’s current concept calls for a mini-roundabout at Kahau Road, Olohena Road and Lehua Street, along with pavement resurfacing, roadway widening, sidewalks, crosswalks and bike lanes. Officials plan to lay out the project background and history at the meeting before taking public questions at the Bryan J. Baptiste Sports Complex pavilion.

That public hearing matters because the project is still moving through design and permitting. The county’s latest annual report said the consultant was working on 60% plans and environmental permitting, which means residents still have a chance to push for changes before final construction details are locked in. For people who travel the corridor every day, the key issues are practical ones: detours, construction noise, emergency access, and how the work will affect homes, businesses and school commutes through East Kauai.

The roadwork is part of a much larger county effort that has shown up in annual reports for fiscal years 2023, 2024 and 2025. Those reports describe the Kukui Street and Olohena Road, or Route 581, improvements as a project to resurface and reconstruct the road from Kūhiō Highway to the Kapaa Bypass, add paved shoulders or bicycle lanes where feasible, install sidewalks in some areas and construct a roundabout at Olohena. In July 2025, the county also said a separate reconfiguration at Olohena Road and Kaapuni Road was approved by County Council resolution in June, with changes meant to square up the intersection, add a dedicated left-turn lane and create a traditional two-way stop control based on traffic counts and longstanding concerns about the layout and limited sight distances.

Olohena Road is already in an active construction and traffic-management phase. Earthworks Pacific was named in county notices as the contractor for recent work, including a May 20 closure to pour a concrete retaining wall and another closure scheduled for June 22 from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. for road work. That ongoing activity helps explain why the county is seeking input now, before the next phase advances further.

Jonoven Savage of the Engineering Division is the contact for questions at 808-241-4885 or jsavage@kauai.gov. The county said auxiliary aids or accommodations can be requested as early as possible. The meeting is set for 5:30 p.m. at the Bryan J. Baptiste Sports Complex pavilion, 4600-4999 Kahau St. in Kapaa.