The state Department of Transportation is looking to shore up the slopes along Highway 19 in Laupahoehoe Gulch.
The road running along the edges of the steep horseshoe gulches on the Hamakua Coast can be treacherous under even the best of conditions.
When heavy rains strike the east side of the island, rockfalls there are all too common, with boulders, dirt and other debris becoming dislodged and tumbling into the path of oncoming vehicles.
On Friday, the state Board of Land and Natural Resources will hear an application by the DOT to acquire access to and use of portions of government land along the highway running through the gulch to install stabilization measures.
The slopes along the gulches were destabilized after earthquakes nine years ago, according to the DOT application.
“Daily clearing of the fallen debris is required at each of these gulch crossings, and cases of boulders of up to two feet in diameter falling into the roadway after heavy rains have been experienced,” the application reads. “Falling debris presents a hindrance and expense to DOT highways due to the need for constant cleanup, as well as obvious safety risks to highway travelers along the Hamakua Coast.”
Barbara Maloney, who lives with her husband, Frank, in a home between the Laupahoehoe and Kaawalii gulches, said they often encounter rockfalls in the roadway.
“The last one we went by, there were a couple boulders the size of large cars,” she said Tuesday.
State Rep. Mark Nakashima, D-Hamakua, Hilo, said the Legislature made an emergency appropriation of funds several years ago for rockfall protection along the highway in Laupahoehoe.
“Living on the coast, it’s dangerous having boulders the size of Volkswagens coming down in the road. I know of a couple cars that have been hit,” he said. “Even small rocks falling on the road, if you come down around the curve, it can cause an accident. … I think we’ve been fortunate the last several years that there have been rockfall incidents, but they have not resulted in major damage or deaths.”
Despite the serious nature of the rockfalls, they’ve also been the source of some humor.
About 30 years ago, when he still was in high school, Nakashima and others encountered in the road a particularly large boulder upon which someone spray-painted their name, “Terado.”
“The following week, another rock fell, and someone painted on it, ‘The Return of Terado,’” he said with a laugh.
In its application, the DOT requested the DLNR set aside portions of land, grant easements and provide construction rights of entry on three parcels within Laupahoehoe Gulch.
Planned improvements include the installation of anchored wire mesh panels along the existing steep cliffs adjacent to the roadway entrances and exits of Laupahoehoe Gulch.
The land board will take up the application at its regularly scheduled meeting at 9 a.m. Friday in Honolulu.
Email Colin M. Stewart at cstewart@hawaiitribune-herald.com.
