On a recent afternoon in Kahului, a Maui Bus encountered a precarious situation when its rear tires were ensnared by a sinkhole hidden beneath pooling water. The incident occurred at around 3:15 p.m. on Wednesday, and despite the potential danger, all passengers and the driver were able to exit the bus safely. The location of the sinkhole at Lono Avenue near West Kamehameha Avenue has since been marked off, as Maui County Department of Transportation prepares to bid out the necessary road repairs.
The sinkhole, originally small and obscured by water, expanded to a sizable 15-by-30-feet wide and 5-feet deep cavity by evening. This escalation was attributed to both water pressure and the excavation efforts that followed, according to the County Department of Water Supply (DWS). It has been revealed that the sinkhole was the result of an aging 12-inch watermain breaking. The road was consequently closed from approximately 3:30 p.m. to 11:30 p.m., and the nearby water service was interrupted from 3:30 to 10 p.m. for repairs, which DWS confirms were successful.
In the wake of this event, DWS officials have taken the occasion to advise against driving through pooling water, which can conceal hazards such as this during instances of flooding, infrastructure incidents or water breaks. The bus has since been removed from the sinkhole by D&D Towing and, remarkably, was operational enough to be driven to the Roberts Hawai’i base yard. It is expected to receive minor repairs before it is cleared to return to service.
