HDOT Announces Nighttime Lane Closures on Nimitz Highway for Asphalting, Disrupting Commutes in Honolulu

Heads up, drivers: the Hawai'i Department of Transportation is laying down new asphalt on the Nimitz Highway and it's going to shake up your nighttime commutes. The HDOT announced a schedule of lane closures starting from December 8, Monday through Wednesday, between 8 p.m. and 4 a.m. the following day, leaving westbound travelers with only one lane open on the Kalihi Stream Bridge, so be ready for some cozy bumper-to-bumper bonding time.

While you may be used to the late-night quiet on the roads, that silence will be broken by the hum of paving machines as the HDOT boots up its operations, in particular handling three lanes at once, though they're dialing it back on December 12 and 13, Friday and Saturday, with activities running from 9 p.m. through the early hours to 7 a.m., and that's all thanks to our friend, the Zipperlane, which needs its breathing room during peak hours.

This isn't just a one-off inconvenience; the Nimitz Highway has its on-ramp to the Airport Viaduct currently under a nightly close from 8 p.m. to 4 a.m., Monday through Thursday, due to the H-1 Airport Viaduct Improvements project, so you'll want to plot a new course if you're airport-bound after dark.

In the spirit of ‘ohana’ and safety first, special duty police officers will be posted at the work sites—because nothing says ‘aloha’ like making sure you don’t accidentally barrel into a construction zone. Electronic message boards will guide motorists, clearly displaying closure information. However, all these plans are subject to the weather, and if Mother Nature decides to weep or show her wrath, schedules may change.