Traffic Emergency Zone Hearing: Nimitz Highway at River Street

HONOLULU - The Hawaiʻi Department of Transportation (HDOT) provides notice of its intent to declare a traffic emergency zone on Nimitz Highway at River Street to implement urgent safety measures for the bridge.

A traffic emergency zone declaration pursuant to Hawaii Revised Statute (HRS) §264-1.5, allows HDOT to accelerate procurement and permitting for response and repair operations aimed at preventing further structural degradation or potential freeway closure.

A recent inspection of the bridge along Nimitz Highway found the bridge deck has deteriorated and requires urgent safety measures to prevent structural damage. The load limit for this bridge has been lowered to 10 tons until the bridge repairs have been completed.

HDOT plans to implement a weekend lane closure going east bound on Nimitz Highway, limiting traffic to two lanes. The closure of the right lane and sidewalk will be in effect from 7 p.m. Friday, Sept. 25 through 5 a.m. Monday, Sept. 28, weather permitting. Any additional work will be done during weeknights, 7:00 p.m. to 5 a.m., up to Oct. 2. Underwater work will be conducted in October, which will not involve any lane closures.

A hearing within 24 hours of the designation is required under HRS §264-1.5. HDOT will be hosting this hearing virtually through Microsoft Teams on Thursday, Sept. 24 at 1 p.m. The Teams meeting may be accessed here or by dialing into 808-829-4853 with the conference ID 608 725 667#.

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