2023 has been a wet year for Hawaii so far, which is great for drought-stricken Maui and Hawaii Island. However, all that rain can destabilize land, which is what happened in East Maui. Unfortunately, as a result, the Hana Highway partially closes for up to a month.
Hana is the most isolated town on the island of Maui. It is about 52 miles from Kahului, it has no hospital, has one general store, and is home to just over 1,200 people. The only way to get there is via the Hana Highway, via the tiny Hana Airport, or by sea. So one can imagine that the Hana Highway is a critical link to the rest of Maui, especially when you need to buy stuff you can’t get at Hasegawa General Store and for those that don’t work close to home. But the highway is also immensely popular with tourists and serves as the lifeblood of the community’s economy. So losing that connection is just not an option.
Hana Highway Partially Closes
Given what I’ve stated above, the news that Hana Highway partially closes is frightening. Luckily, the closure doesn’t affect the main portion of the highway. In fact, this closure impacts an area that most visitors won’t go to. You see, the closure is between Lelekea Bridge and Alelele Bridge, which is roughly three miles from Haleakala National Park’s Kipahulu District – most visitors don’t go beyond Kipahulu.
In fact, this area is an early portion of what is often known as the Back Road to Hana – a road you are absolutely not allowed to drive your rental car through. I didn’t really understand why until I broke this rule and drove from Hana back to Wailea. For someone that’s afraid of heights, this route is f**king TERRIFYING. Look at this! The portion of the highway that’s closed is a janky one-lane road with a sheer cliff on one side and a drop right into the ocean on the other. The turns here are BLIND, too, making it even worse. You can check out Jeff and Amanda’s post from their adventure in the area.
Anyway, the reason for the closure is that a bunch of rocks in this area came crashing down. Naturally, the road must remain closed while County crews clean up the mess, but they also have to keep the area closed while they figure out if there are any further rockfall risks. Currently, crews estimate that all this work could take up to a month. Ouch.
Final Thoughts
It seriously sucks that Hana Highway partially closes for up to a month, particularly for residents in the area. Fortunately, however, it isn’t cutting off the lifeblood of the area. Visitors will still be able to come, and most will still be able to commute in and out of the area normally. That said, if you’re a visitor that’s planning on visiting Hana, please, please, please, be cognizant of your actions and behavior, and be respectful to the people and the environment.